A Ghostly Crisis
by JBGilroy
Summary: Two years after the events of Halfa at Hogwarts and the wizarding world needs Danny again. There are reports of tangible ghosts attacking muggles and wizards alike and Harry's on the case. Problem is, Danny's in America and Harry isn't the only wizard looking into the problem. Why are the ghosts attacking? Can Danny stop it without losing his secret? (t rating just to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel crossover including Harry Potter and Danny Phantom. It's based two years after the Halfa at Hogwarts.**

 **The first one is referenced throughout the fanfic but it isn't necessarily key to understanding things. But Harry does know Danny's secret and Danny and his family and friends know Danny's secret and about the magical community. Phantom Planet never happened in this fanfic.**

 **By the way, while it isn't directly referenced, terms used in Fantastical Beasts and where to find them will feature.**

 **I don't own either Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.**

 **And so on with the story, enjoy.**

Harry stepped off the plane and breathed the first breath of fresh air for hours after a long stuffy flight to America. He followed the other passengers into the airport terminal. He'd packed lightly, fitting everything he needed into a carry-on backpack. He'd brought his invisibility cloak, wand, of course, a few potion essentials, his broom and clothes. Thankfully Hermione had taught him that extension charm she used on her bag at Fleur and Bill's wedding.

He was on an important assignment. His first non-Death Eater assignment since he finished his auror training the previous year. In fact he'd volunteered for the assignment and seemed to be one of the very few aurors taking the situation seriously in the Ministry of Magic back in London. There was a problem with the ghosts. Tangible ghosts were attacking muggles and witches and wizards alike all over the world but mostly concentrated in Britain and certain locations in America. In fact since the investigation opened, Amity Park had come up repeatedly. But most witches and wizards thought that the attacks weren't ghosts but Death Eaters or something similar posing as ghosts.

But Harry knew better. He'd seen ghosts like the ones reported before. And he knew exactly who they needed. Danny Fenton or perhaps Danny Phantom. The problem was, as Danny was a muggle American citizen, Harry had to go to America and work with their magical government, the Magical Congress of the United States of America.

Harry shook his head and walked through baggage reclaim and out of the arrivals gate. A portkey had been arranged for him to get to New York. From there, he'd tell them about Danny, or at least what Danny told people that he didn't want to know his secret. Then hopefully the wizards there would allow Harry and Danny to take over the situation.

Harry stepped out of the building and scanned the street and pulled out a piece of paper which he had written the location of the portkey on. He read the address and time and held a hand out for a taxi. He'd come into Los Angeles international airport. A taxi stopped beside him and he climbed into the back.

"Hey, can you take me here?" Harry requested and handed the driver the page. The driver scanned the address and nodded.

"Sure. Just got off the plane huh?" the driver answered and returned the page and pulled back out on to the street. Harry chuckled.

"That obvious?" he remarked. The driver shrugged.

"Sorry mate. You've got a strong accent there? British?" the driver replied. Harry nodded.

"So, here for long? I could suggest some great sight-seeing spots if you want," the driver offered. Harry shook his head.

"No, I'm leaving the city today. I'm on a business trip and heading to New York as quickly as possible," Harry answered. The driver whistled.

"Wow, long trip that," the driver commented. Harry smirked. Maybe for a muggle, he thought.

"What kind of business?" the driver inquired. Harry shook his head.

"Sorry, not allowed to say. Sensitive information you know," Harry easily replied. The driver frowned, clearly even more curious but knew he wouldn't get a better answer.

"Know anyone from here?" the driver asked after a brief silence, stopping at a red light. Harry nodded.

"Actually yeah. I taught in a school a couple of years ago. A guy from America was teaching there too. He lives in Amity Park. Ever heard of it?" Harry revealed. The driver scoffed.

"Funny you say that. There was a big news story on there a couple of weeks ago. A big ghost invasion. It's all a hoax if you ask me," the driver answered. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Ghost invasion. Can you tell me more? Haven't spoken to my friend in a while and I can't get most American news back home," Harry requested. The driver shrugged.

"Sorry, wasn't paying much attention to it at the time. But doesn't sound like anyone knows what happened exactly. One day, supposedly a bunch of ghosts appeared in the town and their most famous ghost Randy Phantom or something got into a big fight. Then they all vanished. Haven't been seen since. Some crackpot ghost hunters, the Fences I think, said we all have to be vigilant as most of those ghosts escaped and are considered dangerous. But like I said, it's all a hoax," the driver explained.

Harry frowned in thought. A big ghost invasion two weeks ago. That was when the ghost problem had started. Harry decided not to correct the driver on _Danny_ Phantom and the _Fentons_. He wasn't happy with how the driver believed the Fentons to be crackpots since he'd met most of Danny's family and they seemed really nice. They were dedicated to their cause and Mrs Maddie Fenton was incredibly intelligent from what Harry saw when he met her. But then again, Harry knew that most muggles didn't believe in ghosts and he suddenly felt really bad for the Fentons. They were geniuses and Danny was incredibly brave and yet, everyone around them thought they were insane.

The taxi driver glanced at his passenger and frowned in concern.

"Sorry, did I say something wrong?" the driver ventured. Harry looked up and shook his head.

"No, just… worried about my friend is all. Even if it wasn't ghosts, sounds like something big happened in Amity Park. I'll get in contact with him once I get to New York," Harry half-lied. The driver smiled uncertainly and nodded.

A few minutes later the taxi pulled over and Harry handed the driver the fare, having changed some wizard money into American dollars at Gringotts before he left. Harry watched the taxi pull away and turn a corner. Harry glanced at his watch, having already set it to Los Angeles time and nodded to himself. He had twenty minutes to find the portkey. It took nearly fifteen minutes for Harry to find and identify an old soup can beside a dumpster as his portkey. He picked it up and waited.

Five minutes later he was standing in a New York alleyway. Harry tossed the can into a nearby bin and walked out with his backpack on his shoulder. He scanned the street and frowned. A wizard from the Magical Congress of the United States of America or MACUSA for short was meant to be meeting him. He shrugged to himself. He noticed a woman with two young children walking towards him. He called to her.

"Excuse me, sorry but my watch is slow. What time is it?" Harry inquired. The woman glanced nervously down the alleyway before pulling up her sleeve and looked at her own watch.

"Half past two," she answered him. Harry smiled and quickly corrected his own watch.

"Thanks. I have a big meeting that I can't be late for," Harry lied. The woman smiled at him and hurried down the street with her children.

Harry scanned the street again before sighing. The wizard was late. Harry was pretty recognisable in the wizarding community, even overseas. He spotted a bench a short distance away and sat down. He pulled out a pencil and his notebook. He'd taken to writing down notes of anything important he came across. It was essential that he remember everything, particularly since he had to write reports on his assignments. He scribbled into his notebook a note of his conversation with the taxi driver that there had been a big ghost attack in Amity Park two weeks ago.

A man sat down beside him a minute later.

"Nice day," the newcomer commented. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, it is," Harry agreed, discretely studying the man beside him. He wore a long beige jacket and wore a fedora hat, looking like a 50s detective. Underneath he wore faded black suit and red tie. The man smiled.

"Couldn't help but notice that you seem to be waiting for someone," the man remarked. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, just got into New York today. I was supposed to meet someone around here," Harry answered, beginning to see where this conversation might be leading to.

"Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself and held a hand out to the man. The man grinned and shook Harry's hand.

"Steven Robinson," the man returned. Harry smiled.

"It's funny you say that, I'm waiting for someone too. Goes by Harry Potter as well. Really distinctive scar," Steven ventured. Harry rolled his eyes and pushed up his fringe.

"Look like this Steven?" Harry inquired. Steven blushed and nodded.

"Sorry, had to be sure. I'll bring you to MACUSA now," Steven offered. Harry nodded and they stood up together.

It didn't take long for Steven to take Harry to the New York branch of the MACUSA and Harry was brought into a small but comfortable office. Steven sat down opposite Harry.

"So, you were sent by the British Ministry of Magic to help out with this _ghost_ problem," Steven commented, it was clear from the way Steven said "ghost" that he wasn't one of the believers. Harry nodded.

"I was hoping to get in contact with a muggle here in America and enlist his help. He's a well-known and respected ghost hunter and expert. I've worked with him before," Harry informed the wizard. Steven raised an eyebrow.

"You want to involve a no-maj?" Steven asked incredulously. Harry frowned in confusion.

"No-maj?" he repeated. Steven sighed.

"No-maj… non-magical. You call them muggles," Steven explained. Harry hummed in understanding.

"Yeah, I do. I've seen what he can do and I'm convinced that he can get to the bottom of this ghost problem. In fact, he might even be working on it already. He lives in Amity Park and I have reason to believe that a recent large scale attack there was the start of all this," Harry replied. Steven frowned.

"We already looked into that attack. The Fentons know nothing," Steven revealed. Harry smirked.

"Which Fentons did you talk to?" Harry asked. Steven's frown deepened.

"Madeline and Jack Fenton," Steven answered. Harry shook his head.

"I'm talking about their son, Danny. That's who I want to work with. He works closely with a number of ghosts," Harry replied, hoping he wasn't saying too much. Steven raised an eyebrow.

"You're sure that he can help us?" Steven inquired slowly. Harry nodded.

"And he already knows about magic and wizards and so on. So you don't need to be careful around him," Harry informed him. Steven sighed in defeat.

"I'll have a word with my superiors. I can't guarantee anything but I'll try to convince them to bring Danny onto our team," Steven relented and left the room. Harry frowned in confusion.

"Our team?" Harry repeated softly to himself.

 **So, that's the problem and a little about what Harry's been up to in the last couple of years. Danny's introduced in the next chapter.**

 **So… until the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Danny Fenton was sitting in a lecture hall, listening to his lecturer on astronomy. He spun his pen around in his fingers and scribbled down a note on a formula to calculate the speed a star was travelling and how gravitational pull affected the star's trajectory. He scanned the board and double checked the formula on his page and put down his pen.

Suddenly the door opened and the sound of a bustling corridor interrupted the lecturer. The door thudded closed and Danny glanced up and saw two large men walk in. He frowned in confusion but shrugged it off. They were probably just mechanics or something. Technus had attacked a week ago and the computers hadn't been the same since. Danny still didn't know why the technology ghost had sought out revenge on him. They hadn't fought each other in over a year and that last fight hadn't even been that bad.

Danny picked up his pen and jotted down the lecturer's comment on a particular star that astronomers had recently discovered just outside the Milky Way. However he scowled in surprise and mild annoyance as the new comers sat down near him, one behind and one beside him. Danny brushed away the annoyance and focused on the lecturer again.

"You're Daniel Fenton, correct?" the man beside him asked. Danny glanced at the man and frowned.

"I prefer Danny. Whatever this is, can't it wait? I have a test on this stuff next week," Danny replied quietly and turned back to the lecturer.

"No, it can't. You have to come with us," the man behind him answered. Danny stiffened.

"Am I under arrest for something?" Danny whispered softly, his annoyance replaced by fear. Normal cops wouldn't be this discrete. They'd wait outside or just come out with the fact that he's under arrest. But the Guys in White… they'd been after Danny Phantom for a long time. Could these two men be trying to provoke him?

He glanced at the man beside him and nearly sighed in relief when he saw that the man had no white clothing on his person. The Guys in White were never seen out of their white uniforms, even under cover.

"No, you're not under arrest. But you have to come with us now," the man beside him answered. Danny shook his head.

"If I'm not under arrest then I don't have to do a thing you say," Danny decided.

"If you refuse to come with us, then we'll just go back and get new orders from the president," the man beside him growled menacingly. Danny frowned. President?

"You're with the government?" Danny muttered. The men hesitated.

"Yeah," the man behind him ventured.

Danny groaned as he missed another formula the lecturer rubbed off the board before he could finish copying it down.

"Why would the president want me?" Danny ventured and scribbled down the next formula.

"There's a ghost problem we need your help with," the man beside him admitted softly. Danny glanced at him.

"I think you have the wrong Fenton. My parents lead the ghost hunting in my family," Danny bluffed.

"We have already spoken with your parents. But you were recommended by an outside party," the man behind him replied.

"What outside party?" Danny immediately demanded. Starting to worry that perhaps his secret wasn't safe after all.

"You have to come with us before we tell you," the man beside him answered. Danny turned to the man and glared at him. Not afraid to show his annoyance anymore.

"So, I hope you understood all that and remember next week we have a mid-semester exam. It counts for ten percentage of your final grade so study well," the lecturer announced in conclusion. Danny's eyes widened and he turned to the board and groaned again as he saw the lecturer rubbing out the last formula, again before Danny could copy it. He dropped his head onto his notepad.

"If I fail, I'm blaming you," Danny mumbled and sat up. He packed away his things into his backpack and got up.

The men scowled in surprise and confusion but stood up as well. They stepped out of his way and followed him out of the lecture hall.

"Danny! Hey Danny!" a girl shouted to him. Danny turned to her and smiled.

"Oh, hey Tammy," Danny greeted, ignoring the men shooting him annoyed glares. Tammy, or rather Tamzin was a girl in his course with dyed purple hair and a preference for wearing bright clothes.

"Did you get all those formulas?" Tamzin asked. Danny shook his head.

"No, missed a couple at least. You?" Danny replied hopefully. Tamzin nodded.

"Yep, I'll text you them if you want," Tamzin offered. Danny grinned at her.

"Thank you so much. You're a life saver. If you ever need anything, let me know," Danny exclaimed gratefully. Tamzin grinned at him.

"Well, I do need a date to a party this weekend," Tamzin mentioned. Danny's smile vanished.

"Tammy, you know I have a girlfriend. And you know it's serious. I'm sorry, I can't be your date. But I could ask Tucker, he might be able to get here in time," Danny offered. Tamzin scowled and shook her head.

"No thanks. I'll find someone else. I'll text you later," Tamzin replied disheartened and disappeared into the crowd. Danny watched her go and shook his head. Tamzin had shown an interest him ever since they met the previous year.

"Mr Fenton," one of the men called to him. Danny scowled and turned to them.

"Yes?" he snapped.

"It is urgent that we bring you back to our base of operations," one informed him. Danny rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere without knowing why the government wants my help with ghosts, or at least what this outside party is," Danny grumbled, folding his arms defiantly. The two men shared an uncertain look.

"Are you willing to help us with a ghost problem?" one of them ventured. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but what makes you so sure that I can help?" Danny answered distrustfully. Both men nodded.

"Then, we'll bring you in," the other decided and they grabbed his arms and turned him around.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Danny yelped as they walked him out of the building.

"Please come quietly Mr Fenton," one of the men requested.

"Then tell me why you're practically kidnapping me! You said I'm not under arrest, that means I can refuse to go with you," Danny snarled angrily. Getting many curious looks from passing college students.

"And we told you that this is urgent," the other reminded him.

"Danny?" a male student with light brown hair and glasses called in surprise. Danny glanced back at him and saw that it was Joseph, another student in his course.

"Oh, hey Joe! Mind taking notes for me in our next lecture?" Danny shouted back to his friend. Danny was out of sight before Joseph could answer.

Danny resigned himself to being taken wherever the men were taking him. He couldn't get away without turning intangible and blowing his secret. Besides, he was curious and really didn't want to have to explain why he'd been dragged through a crowded corridor by two surprisingly strong men. Five minutes later, they were standing in an alleyway. The men pushed an old boot into his hands and gripped his upper arms tightly with one hand each and the other held the boot. Danny was starting to wonder if these men were completely sane when he felt something tug behind his navel and he began to spin on the spot at dizzying speeds.

He collapsed to the ground suddenly without warning and retched.

"Warn me next time," he groaned, feeling extremely nauseous. He'd ridden countless roller coasters and been pulled through the Ghost Zone by the Infi-map but whatever that boot was, it was completely different. It felt… wrong. He shook the dizziness from his head and unsteadily got to his feet before the men grabbed his arms again and led him through the streets of some city. He didn't even see where he was heading and his vision only fully cleared once the men walked him into a building. He gasped at the sight and then realised what these people were.

He watched pages of paper fly through the air in the shape of birds before unfolding on desks. He saw numerous people wearing cloaks and some even wore pointed hats. They waved sticks at their work and were done in seconds. These men were wizards.

"Let me guess, your president isn't the same as mine," Danny commented. The men glanced at him before grunting in confirmation.

"Why didn't you just _say_ that you were wizards? I would have come without question… well less questions," Danny inquired grumpily.

"Right, so we were meant to walk up to some no-maj and say that we need your help and that we're wizards," one man retorted sarcastically. Danny scowled.

"No-maj? Oh, I get it. Non-magical person. Well, when you put it like that… yeah! I thought you were some government cronies coming to arrest me for some reason. You can't just walk up to someone and say you have to come with us!" Danny replied.

"Why would we arrest you?" one of the men inquired suspiciously. Danny cleared his throat and turned to watch a witch send a memo through the air.

"Oh no reason. But you watch enough movies and you can get paranoid," Danny answered.

"Movies?" one of the men questioned confused. Danny glanced at him.

"Yeah, movies. Moving pictures with sound… tells stories. You wizards don't have that?" Danny explained. The men shook their heads. Danny laughed and shook his head.

"Don't know what you're missing guys," Danny commented.

"So, this outside party. Going to tell me about it yet?" Danny asked conversationally. The men glanced at each other and shrugged.

"You'll meet him soon. Not sure if you'd even know who he is, considering you're a no-maj and all," one man answered. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Could surprise you. Go ahead, try me. No harm in telling me his name," Danny prompted. The man nodded.

"Guess you're right. Harry Potter," the man informed him. Danny's eyes widened and he laughed.

"Seriously, you should have just said. I would have come if you told me Harry was asking for me. We're friends," Danny told them.

"Really?" one of the men retorted disbelievingly. Danny nodded.

"Yep, Harry Potter, curse scar on his forehead. Took down Voldemort when he was just a baby," Danny confirmed, stunning the men. Danny smirked at the shocked expressions.

"Like I said, I could surprise you," Danny repeated cockily.

 **And that's how life's treating Danny. So let me know what you think of this chapter. I don't know much about astronomy so if there aren't formula and things in that, I'm sorry.**

 **But with that… until the next chapter…**


	3. Chapter 3

Harry and Steven waited in Steven's office. They exchanged a little small talk but they didn't want to get into anything important until Danny arrived. Harry just hoped that the wizards sent to collect the halfa were smart about how they asked Danny to come with them. Steven glanced at his watch and smiled at Harry.

"Should be here soon if they got their portkey in time," Steven commented. The door swung open and Danny was pushed inside by the two wizards.

"Thanks guys. Couldn't have wished for better company on the journey," Danny called, Harry could tell that the halfa was joking since he knew Danny so well.

Danny turned to the room and grinned at Harry.

"Hey Harry, heard you have some ghost trouble? Peeves leave Hogwarts?" Danny joked. Harry laughed as he got up and shook hands with the halfa.

"Not exactly. It's good to see you again Danny. How's Sam and your family? I heard there was a big ghost attack a couple of weeks back," Harry greeted. Danny chuckled.

"Oh, you heard about that. Yeah, it was a lot of ghosts but it wasn't nearly as bad as what the reporters are saying. Just weird really. Only seen that many ghosts escaping through the Fenton portal once before and that was when the Ghost King got free. But these ghosts, they weren't running from anything, at least they didn't seem scared," Danny replied.

Steven watched the two friends with great interest.

"Hello, Steven Robinson. I heard that you're an expert ghost hunter Mr Fenton," Steven announced himself, standing up and holding a hand out. Danny shook his hand.

"Call me Danny. And I guess, I'm pretty good," Danny replied modestly.

"We did approach your parents but they didn't know anything," Steven remarked suspiciously. Danny scowled.

"Some information needs to remain confidential. As part of the magical community, I'm sure you understand that… right?" Danny retorted stiffly. Harry bit his lip, sensing Danny's distrust of Steven.

"What could you know that's confidential Danny?" Steven prompted. Danny narrowed his eyes.

"Stuff that I can't talk to you about," Danny growled.

Harry jumped in and broke the lingering handshake between Danny and Steven.

"So, you said that you have reports on some of the most recent ghost attacks," Harry reminded Steven. Steven scowled at Danny but nodded.

"Yeah, please take a seat and I'll explain what's happened," Steven suggested, gesturing to the seats opposite him. Harry returned to his own seat and Danny dropped his backpack beside the other and sat down.

"Alright, two weeks ago a number of tangible ghost attacks started being reported all across America and Britain. There have been a handful of attacks in other parts of the world but mostly in America and Britain. These ghosts have been seen producing destructive beams of energy as well as other things such as ice, fire, lightning and so on. I have been tasked by the MACUSA to lead an investigation into the attacks and I assume Harry has been tasked by his own Ministry of Magic," Steven explained. Danny nodded.

"Right, and MACUSA is?" Danny asked.

"Magical Congress of the United States of America," Harry answered. Danny nodded.

"Alright. Look, all that stuff you've told me Steven, it's not helpful. I'll need pictures," Danny informed the wizard. Steven blinked in surprise before frowning. He leant down and pulled out a number of files from his desk.

He handed them to Danny. Danny took them and opened the first file. He flicked through it, glancing at each moving picture briefly before stopping on a particular page. He frowned at the picture before turning the next few pages. He returned to the picture he frowned at and put it on the desk.

"You have lousy pictures but I think I might know this ghost," Danny commented, earning an annoyed scowl from Steven. Harry leant over to look at the picture.

"Hm, looks like a shadow to me," he remarked. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, it's not easy to make out but I think that this is a picture of Spectra. I know of two shadow ghosts. Johnny 13's shadow, which has green eyes and Spectra's shadow form which has red eyes. See, red eyes," Danny explained and pointed to the barely visible eyes in the picture.

Steven's eyes widened in surprise, he leant forward and noticed that Danny was right. It wasn't something he had ever noticed before.

"You're lucky that those wizards found me in a lecture. I have my laptop with me. I just hope there isn't too much magic in the air to stop it working," Danny remarked and pulled his laptop out of his backpack with a smirk. He turned it on and waited for it to boot up. He flicked through the other files and nodded at a handful of pictures before stopping on one in particular. He turned it to Steven.

"Was there more than one of these ghosts at these attacks?" Danny asked, showing Steven a picture of a green skinned ghost with a tail instead of feet and legs. The ghost wore a helmet and carried a riot shield. Steven glanced at Danny and nodded.

"We've noticed a number of them. Do you know why?" Steven answered. Danny frowned and put the file down. He typed his password into his laptop and clicked on an icon called "ghost files" and scrolled through his files.

"I think I do, I just hope I'm wrong," Danny replied eventually and twisted his laptop around for Steven to look at.

"Now this is a proper ghost file. Excuse the fact that none of the pictures move," Danny announced proudly with a smirk.

Steven scanned the laptop screen and blinked in surprise. It was a detailed description of Spectra's appearance and power set as well as meetings Danny had had with the ghost. Steven looked at the picture. It showed two figures, one was a shadowy figure with red eyes and purple lips. The other showed a young woman with small pointed glasses and red hair, styled into two spikes wearing a red suit and high heels. Danny poked his head over the top and tapped on a next tab.

"She usually works with this ghost, Bertrand. But he's a shapeshifter so it's really hard to spot him," Danny explained and a new file appeared on the screen showing a small man with grey hair and moustache wearing a pristine suit.

Steven made to look at the next file but Danny quickly twisted his computer back to himself. Danny scrolled through the files, Harry noticing many different files including one on Danielle. Danny stopped on a file showing the ghost he'd pointed out. He twisted it around for Steven to see.

"These ghosts are guards of Walker's prison in the Ghost Zone. He sends them out to arrest escaped prisoners or ghostly criminals," Danny explained and tapped a button and a picture of an imposing man in a pinstriped suit and fedora, completely white bar his green eyes and black gloves and boots.

"And that's the warden himself. Don't get me started on how hard it was to get a picture this clear. Nearly got arrested for just carrying a camera," Danny added. Steven glanced at Danny.

"Carrying a camera is illegal?" Steven inquired. Danny shrugged.

"According to Walker it is. Tried to get me for carrying real world contraband and possession of illegal recording equipment," Danny answered. Danny waved a dismissive hand.

"He's been after me for years. I wouldn't worry about him. Only arrested me once and that was during my early days," Danny remarked. Steven frowned.

"But he doesn't want you for anything really bad, right?" Harry interjected. Danny glanced at Harry and smirked.

"Of course not Harry. It's mostly repeat offenses like driving the Spectre Speeder in the Ghost Zone. Walker thinks it's illegal," Danny replied. Steven's frown lessened.

"So, you keep doing it?" he pointed out unhappily. Danny shrugged.

"It's not a big deal Steven. Walker just likes to think he's in charge," Danny retorted.

Danny twisted the laptop back around and scrolled through the files again and showed Steven a couple of files on ghosts Danny knew Walker had arrested in the past such as Johnny 13, Kitty, Desiree, Ghost Writer, Skulker and so on. Steven was astonished to have to admit to have seen the majority of the ghosts Danny brought up on his laptop. Danny sighed resignedly and turned his laptop off.

"Well, I need to confirm my suspicions but I think Walker had a break out. That would explain so many ghosts leaving the Ghost Zone," Danny decided and got up.

"So, I need to get back to Amity Park. Please tell me there's a better way than the way I got here," Danny inquired hopefully.

Steven got up and pulled on his jacket.

"We can use the Floo network if you'd like. I can't set up a portkey without any notice," Steven suggested. Danny frowned.

"You're coming with me?" Danny inquired. Steven scowled and nodded.

"Of course. Harry and I are working on this situation. You are a guest brought in with Harry's recommendation," Steven informed him coolly. Danny glared angrily at Steven.

"Harry, a word?" Danny growled and pulled Harry out of earshot.

"Steven's coming with us?!" Danny hissed angrily. Harry flinched.

"I'm sorry Danny. It's not my place to say he can't. He was assigned to this ghost problem, like I was," Harry explained softly. Danny shook his head.

"Can't you throw your weight around? I thought wizards like him listened to you," Danny suggested quickly. Harry scowled.

"Maybe but I don't do that kind of thing. What's the problem? I thought you didn't mind working with wizards," Harry pointed out, confused. Danny swept an anxious hand through his black hair.

"I don't. But… you don't understand Harry. Working with you in Britain is completely different to working with Steven here!" Danny whispered.

Harry frowned and shook his head, not understanding the issue at all.

"If you found out my secret in Britain, I could always come home and hide. You probably didn't notice, but I didn't tell you a lot things about me until I knew I could trust you. But here! That's not possible. And worse, what if Steven finds out what I am? What if he tells his boss or whatever and they tell my government, the muggle one or no-maj or whatever else we're called? If my government learn the truth Harry, then the Guys in White will find out and before I know it, I'll be arrested by them and taken to some lab underground and never seen again! Harry this is too close to home. I'm scared," Danny explained, fear clearly pronounced. Harry blinked in shock, completely stunned by how afraid Danny was.

Harry noticed that Danny's fear and panic had caused the halfa to start hyperventilating. Harry grabbed the halfa's shoulders.

"Danny, calm down. Take a deep breath. Listen, I'm not going to let something like that happen to you. I'll help you keep your secret from Steven alright and if he does find out I'll make sure he understands that he can't tell anyone," Harry assured Danny gently. Danny took a shaky breath and nodded.

"Thanks Harry. It's just this is a very real danger for me. The Guys in White have been after me since I was fourteen. And I know that they won't care that I'm a halfa. They'll only think of the fact that I'm a ghost," Danny muttered. Harry nodded and gave Danny a reassuring smile.

 **So the entire situation's been laid out. Let me know what you think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Once Harry and Danny returned to Steven, they were led through the building to a row of large fireplaces. Harry and Danny waited for Steven while the wizard went to get clearance to use the Floo network to travel to Amity Park.

"Er, okay the Floo network is a magic network where wizards use Floo powder to travel through fireplaces to where they want. There are limitations. Only connected fireplaces can be used either way and the fireplace has to be open or you could end up trapped. Also, you have to say where you want to go clearly or you might end up some place else," Harry explained.

Danny frowned and examined the fireplace closely.

"Alright, but how does it work once you use the powder?" Danny asked curiously. Harry smiled.

"You'll spin around and shoot off to where you said. But you need to try and keep an eye out for your exit. When I first used it, I was advised to keep my elbows tucked in and don't breath in the smoke if you can help it," Harry answered.

Danny scowled.

"Great, more spinning," Danny grumbled. Harry frowned in confusion.

"What? Not good with spinning?" Harry inquired with concern. Danny shrugged and turned to Harry.

"Usually, no. I mean I love roller coasters and um… my pastime. But whatever that thing me and those two wizards sent to get me used to get here. I felt really nauseous afterwards. And dizzy," Danny admitted. Harry understood that Danny meant flying when he said his pastime. Harry scowled in thought.

"I wonder if that's because you're… you," Harry muttered thoughtfully referencing Danny's halfa status carefully. Danny shrugged.

"We never figured out exactly why Poppy couldn't heal me," Danny pointed out.

Steven returned with a pouch filled with acid green powder.

"Right, it's all set up. There's an old warehouse with a fireplace that we can use. I'll go first and then Harry, you can take Danny with you. I don't know if a no-maj can use Floo powder without a wizard so we'll play it safe," Steven decided. Harry nodded and took the pouch from Steven.

"I've never gone through the Floo network with a partner before. Do I need to take extra powder?" Harry asked. Steven shook his head.

"Shouldn't do. Most wizards take too much anyway. But if you don't end up in Amity Park, you have more powder to try again," Steven answered. Harry nodded and stepped back so that Steven could use the fireplace.

Steven stepped into the lit fireplace.

"Amity Park, abandoned warehouse," Steven called out clearly. He then dropped the handful of powder on the small flames beneath him and vanished in a bright explosion of flames. Danny blinked in surprise.

"It looks worse than it is. Trust me," Harry commented. Danny laughed.

"Harry, you know me. I've seen weirder. I'm just a little concerned about the fire," Danny replied. Harry's eyes widened.

"Are you sure about this then?" Harry asked worriedly. Danny shrugged.

"Not much of a choice at this point. If I refuse to go through with this, Steven might get suspicious. I'll be fine, but if I'm a little irritable, you know why," Danny decided. Harry bit his lip and nodded.

Together they stepped into the fireplace and Harry held out his handful of powder, gripping Danny's arm tightly.

"Amity Park, abandoned warehouse," Harry announced and dropped the powder. Suddenly everything turned green and they began to spin and rocket upwards. Harry kept a close eye out at every fireplace opening they passed waiting to see Steven or a warehouse. Harry chanced a glance at Danny to see how the halfa was coping. Danny had gone very pale and had his eyes firmly shut. Harry frowned in concern and turned back to searching for their exit. He spotted Steven and stepped forward, pulling Danny out behind him.

Steven smiled at them, before frowning at Danny as the halfa collapsed on the ground. Danny's head was spinning and he felt even worse than he had after the boot. At least the boot hadn't been unbearably hot as well as nauseating.

"I prefer the other way," Danny moaned as he unsteadily got to his feet. Harry stepped forward and gave him some support. Steven frowned in confusion and concern.

"Are you feeling alright?" Steven ventured. Danny shook his head.

"He's not good with spinning," Harry quickly lied. Steven nodded in understanding.

"Well, take the time you need. There's no one in this warehouse," Steven suggested.

"Yeah, because the Box Ghost finally took the hint," Danny muttered so quiet that only Harry heard the comment. Harry bit back a smirk and nodded to Steven.

"Thanks Steven," Harry thanked the wizard on Danny's behalf. Harry led Danny over to an old rickety chair left behind by the previous owners. Steven walked off to find an exit.

"Are you alright Danny? Anything I can do?" Harry asked. Danny put his head in his hands and shook his head.

"No, I just need everything to stop spinning. I feel a little tired too but that'll wear off once my core settles down a bit," Danny mumbled. Harry nodded. He scanned the old room, coming to the conclusion that this must have been the boss's office at one point. He noticed an old tin waste bin and fetched it for Danny. In Harry's experience, dizziness and nausea could cause vomiting. He put it down beside Danny and stepped back and waited for Danny to recover.

Steven returned five minutes later and Danny decided that his dizziness had reduced enough that he could walk around and get some fresh air outside. They stepped out of the warehouse and Steven turned to Danny.

"So, where do you need to go?" Steven asked.

"I need to go and check on Walker, find out if there was a break out after all. The only place I can do that is Fenton Works," Danny answered. Steven frowned.

"Lead the way then," Harry announced. Danny nodded and took a deep breath to clear his head.

Danny quickly scanned his surroundings and began to walk down the street, Harry and Steven following close behind. Within ten minutes, they were walking down a road towards an imposing house with a massive spaceship-like structure with a glowing green sign saying "Fenton Works".

"Before we go in. Fair warning, do _not_ ask my dad about ghosts. Not unless you want to get really bored and probably confused too," Danny called back over his shoulder. Harry frowned but didn't question it. Knowing Danny, he'd understand when he needed to. Steven raised a questioning eyebrow but said nothing.

Danny led the two wizards up the steps and knocked on the door.

"Don't you have a key?" Harry asked. Danny smirked.

"Not on me. Besides they don't know I'm in town. Trust me, you don't want to walk in without warning them first. You'll end up getting hit by a baseball bat, or a Fenton anti-creep stick," Danny chuckled. Harry blinked in confusion. Danny noticed and smiled reassuringly.

"Ghost hunters Harry, remember. They're constantly on guard," Danny added.

The door opened and a large man in an orange jumpsuit came into view.

"Danny? Danny!" the man shouted at first confused but then excited. Before Danny could say or do anything, the man grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

"Son, why didn't you tell us you were coming home? Come on, I'll show you my latest invention!" Danny's father boomed.

"Hey dad," Danny wheezed and discretely escaped his father's embrace by turning intangible for a split second.

"Sorry dad, didn't know I was coming home until about an hour ago. This is Steven Robinson and Harry Potter," Danny quickly added, gesturing to the two wizards watching nervously.

"Harry, Steven. This is my dad, Jack Fenton," Danny introduced.

Jack frowned at Harry.

"You look familiar. Have we met before?" Jack commented. Harry blinked in surprise before smiling.

"Yeah, we met but we weren't introduced. Nice to meet you properly Mr Fenton," Harry recalled and held out a hand. Jack laughed and thumped Harry on the shoulder.

"No need to be so formal Harry. Any friend to my son is always welcome," Jack replied. Danny smirked at Harry's bewildered expression.

"Dad, where's mom and Dani?" Danny called.

"Oh, Dani's at the park last I heard and your mother is in the lab," Jack answered. Danny nodded and walked inside. Jack frowned and followed his son. Harry and Steven decided to follow Danny as well.

"Who was at the door Hon?!" a female voice shouted.

"Hey mom! Mind coming up here to meet a couple of people," Danny yelled back. A woman in a blue jumpsuit ran through the kitchen door.

"Danny! Oh, sweetie! It's wonderful to see you. What a lovely surprise," his mother exclaimed. Danny smirked and rubbed away the lipstick kisses his mother left on his cheek.

"You remember Harry right?" Danny gestured to Harry. His mother nodded.

"How could I not? Good to see you again Harry," she greeted him. Harry smiled to her.

"Hey Mrs Fenton. Nice to see you again too," Harry retorted.

"Meet Steven Robinson. Steven this is my mom, Maddie Fenton," Danny introduced the American wizard. Maddie nodded to the wizard before frowning at him.

"Wait a minute. Weren't you here last week asking about that big ghost attack two weeks ago?" Maddie recalled. Steven nodded cautiously.

"I was. That's part of the reason I'm here now. Harry recommended that we involve your son," Steven explained. Maddie frowned in confusion.

"He's a wizard mom. There's been a lot of ghost attacks recently and Steven and Harry are leading the investigation," Danny informed her. Maddie nodded in understanding.

"We're here so that I can check something in the Ghost Zone. That alright?" Danny added. Maddie scowled in confusion but nodded.

"Of course. I'll call Dani and let her know you're here," Maddie offered and both Fentons walked into the kitchen.

"What's really going on Danny?" Maddie demanded. Danny sighed. Since his parents learned his secret, his mother had gotten a lot better at noticing when he was hiding things.

"Steven's with the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Harry is a British auror, kind of like a wizard cop. I think Steven might be an auror too. Steven doesn't know about Phantom. And I want to try and keep it that way. I think I've figured out why so many ghosts came through the portal a couple of weeks ago. I think Walker had a break out. I'm going to have to check though," Danny explained.

Maddie shook her head.

"Absolutely not! Danny, Walker is dangerous. You've told us yourself that he wants to catch you," Maddie exclaimed. Danny sighed.

"Mom, I'll be careful. I'm just going in, checking the security around the prison and then getting out of there. Walker won't even see me," Danny replied. Maddie bit her lip.

"I don't like it," she retorted. Danny frowned in thought.

"Alright, mom. I'll make you a deal, if I'm not back in an hour. Send Dani in after me or come after me in the Speeder. But I'd rather keep Dani off Walker's radar if I can," Danny compromised. Maddie sighed in dislike but nodded.

"Okay. One hour. I'll keep Steven busy and away from your father," Maddie relented reluctantly.

 **And Fenton Works is involved. Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

Danny Phantom floated in the green expanse of the Ghost Zone making sure to keep his distance from the prison, it looked all quiet. Danny floated a little closer and scanned the walls for any patrolling guards. He couldn't see any. Danny shook his head. He had to get closer. He sighed.

"Mom is going to kill me if she hears how close I'm going," Danny muttered to himself. He flew closer to the prison, keeping a sharp eye out for any guards or incoming attacks. He was ready to fly off back to the portal or some other form of safety at a moment's notice.

Carefully, Danny approached the front gate. He stopped next to it and waited, expecting to get attacked at any minute. When nothing happened, Danny bit his lip and put a hand on the gate and pushed against it. It held firm and Danny quickly checked for any ghosts watching him. Seeing none, he backed away from the gate and flew quickly towards it. In a flash of white light, he changed back to human and phased through it. Once through, Danny returned to Phantom and stopped his trajectory.

Danny floated in place and waited to be attacked, but nothing came. The lack of attacks was both a relief and unnerving. Walker's prison was never this quiet. Danny usually had to keep a good distance away in case the guards spotted and attacked him. But he was inside for the first time in years and he hadn't seen a single guard. The closer he got, the more certain he was that there had been a break out. And by the looks of it, there wasn't a single prisoner left.

Danny walked nervously down the corridor and from the few times he'd been in the prison he managed to remember where the cafeteria was. He cautiously turned in a circle and took in the completely silent cafeteria.

"I know I'm in the Ghost Zone but this is ridiculous," Danny mumbled. He walked out of the room and down another corridor. He'd never been in a cell thankfully and so didn't know where they were. But after a few dead ends and backtracking, he reached a heavy metal looking door with an impressive lock. He glanced down the corridor and saw many similar doors.

He pushed the door and found it to be unlocked. He stepped inside and took in the cell. It was small. There was no furniture apart from two beds. There was no light and nothing to look at. Danny shuddered at the thought of being locked in this tiny room with nothing but his thoughts and a roommate. He cringed with the thought of being roommates with a ghost such as Skulker or even worse Klemper.

Danny stepped out of the cell and pushed the door shut again. He examined the door and noticed a small bolted window. He walked to the next door and opened the door and found the next cell was empty as well. He checked the next ten cells and found them all to be empty. Danny nodded to himself. Walker had definitely had a break out. Danny turned to leave.

"Breaking into a prison? That's against the rules you know," a voice called to him. Danny froze. He turned to the voice and cringed at the sight of the warden himself scowling at him.

"Hey Walker. Just wanted to check on how things were. But there weren't any guards outside," Danny replied nervously. Walker raised an eyebrow.

"And why would a punk like you want to check on things in my prison?" Walker asked suspiciously. Danny nodded.

"I know how it looks Walker. But I'm dealing with _your_ prisoners! I wanted to be sure if you had a break out like I suspected," Danny retorted.

Walker scowled angrily. Danny returned the hateful glare.

"What do you want? An apology? Because that's not happening punk!" Walker growled. Danny sighed and shook his head.

"No. I'm not here for a fight Walker. Actually I'm just here to get some answers and maybe even offer my help. Neither of us want dangerous ghosts rampaging in my world. Truce?" Danny replied. Walker took a few steps closer and considered the halfa, Danny took a wary step back.

"Alright. I'm willing to make a deal with you. You get all my prisoners back into the Ghost Zone where I can catch them and I'll give you a head start," Walker offered.

Danny grinned.

"See, I knew you could be reason- wait… head start?" Danny retorted. Walker smiled evilly.

"That's right. You're still wanted. I'll give you to the count of ten," Walker replied. Danny blinked in surprise.

"One," Walker began. Danny spun on his heel and stumbled over his feet to run down the corridor.

"Two… three… four…ten!" Walker continued and sprinted after Danny. Danny ducked under a purple blast of energy Walker threw at him.

"Walker, you need counting lessons! What happened to five and the rest?" Danny shouted over his shoulder and skidded around a corner.

Danny ran into the cafeteria and ducked behind a table. Walker chased him and fired another blast of purple energy. Danny shielded his face as the table he hid behind splintered apart. He scrambled back to his feet and sprinted out of the room and turned another corner and quickly fired a beam of ice on the ground. Walker ran after him and slipped on the ice, crashing in the wall. Danny glanced back at the warden and smirked. He returned his attention to his escape and saw the front gate coming up. He jumped into the air and flew at it. At the last second, he reverted to his human half and once through returned to being Phantom.

Danny flew as fast as possible through the Ghost Zone, instinctively heading to the Fenton portal. He glanced behind him when he heard a loud crash as the front gates of the prison exploded open. Danny turned back to the direction he was heading in as he flew through the portal. He cried out in alarm as he flew into the lab, too fast to prevent himself crashing into a shelving unit filled with jars of ghost samples his parents worked with.

Maddie glanced at the clock and twiddled her thumbs nervously. Danny had been gone almost forty-five minutes and he still wasn't back. She knew it was a bad idea to let him go and check Walker's prison alone. Danielle was waiting upstairs in her room. The plan was for her to phase outside and come in the front door and go straight down to the lab to see Danny. Maddie had given up on keeping control of the conversation after Steven asked a question about a weapon they'd left on the coffee table. She could see that both Harry and Steven were trying to be polite and look interested in Jack's ramblings but it was obvious that they were bored silly at this point. Any other time and she would have saved them by now but it was working in their favour in this situation. Maddie was keeping an ear out in case Jack started on a dangerous subject, ready to jump in and steer the conversation to safer waters.

Maddie had served some iced tea she made that morning and cookies she'd baked yesterday. Jack had eaten most of the cookies and Harry and Steven had hardly touched their drinks. Maddie sighed and glanced at the clock again. Only five minutes had passed. She bit her lip and glanced at the kitchen doorway. She really hoped that her son was just taking his time because he was being cautious and not because he was in trouble.

She picked up her glass and took a sip, mainly because she was desperate to do something other than worry. Suddenly there was a crash in the lab below them and she choked on her iced tea. Harry and Steven snapped out of their bored trances and Jack jumped to his feet and screamed, "ghost!" at the top of his lungs. Maddie quickly got to her feet.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Danny probably just knocked a box of equipment over. I'll go check. Jack did you tell Steven about our Spectre Speeder? Remember wizards don't understand how cars work," Maddie prompted, knowing that Jack could talk about the Spectre Speeder for hours if necessary. Harry got to his feet.

"Mind if I come with you Mrs Fenton? I might be able to help," Harry interjected, his eyes pleading for her to agree. Maddie smirked and shook her head.

"Not at all, but I don't like untrained people in the lab, so only Harry," Maddie answered.

Steven glanced at Harry with annoyance but said nothing as Maddie and Harry walked into the kitchen before sprinting down the stairs into the lab. Maddie ran over to her son as he picked himself up, rubbing his head.

"Danny! What happened?" Maddie exclaimed concerned. Danny shook the fuzziness from his head and gasped at the portal.

"Close the portal!" he yelped fearfully and, still Phantom, flew to the control console and punched the open/close button. He leant against the console and sighed in relief.

"Alright mister. Start talking," Maddie demanded sternly, folding her arms. Danny reverted to his human form and sighed.

"Walker found me in the prison. He chased me out," Danny admitted, knowing that his mother wouldn't drop this until she got an answer.

"You said you'd be careful! You said you wouldn't let Walker see you!" Maddie reminded him angrily. Danny flinched.

"To be fair mom, he snuck up on me. My ghost sense doesn't work too well in the Ghost Zone. But I was right, he did have a break out and a big one. I think he lost all his prisoners," Danny attempted to change the subject. Maddie scowled at him but sighed.

"Are you hurt?" Maddie asked worriedly. Danny shook his head with a smile.

"No, never touched me mom. I just came through the portal too fast and couldn't stop in time to avoid the shelf. Sorry, I'll clean it up," Danny explained, blushing in embarrassment. Maddie shook her head.

"You'd better," she replied with a light glare but it was clear that she was relieved that her son was safe. Maddie left the lab to keep an eye on Steven and her husband. Danny frowned at the shattered shelving unit and broken glass beakers. He sighed and went to fetch the broom.

Harry considered the mess and took out his wand.

"Mind if I try something first?" Harry called. Danny came back with a broom and dust pan.

"Go for it. If it saves me cleaning up this mess, I'm all for it," Danny answered hopefully. Harry glanced at him before chuckling.

"It mightn't work since this is ghost stuff," Harry warned. Danny shrugged and leant lazily on the broom. Harry pointed his wand at the mess.

"Reparo," Harry muttered and with a flick of his wand the shelving unit and broken glass beakers repaired themselves and reset themselves as they were before Danny crashed into it. All that was left was the ghost samples. Harry scowled in confusion at the green goo.

"Wow, thanks Harry. It would have taken me ages to clear all that up," Danny exclaimed gratefully.

Harry shook his head.

"That goo should have been scooped back into their beakers too. What is it?" Harry mentioned as Danny grabbed a large beaker.

"Er… ghost samples. Mom and dad melt down low level ghosts, you know ones without much conscious thought, for research," Danny answered with an uncomfortable grimace. It was clear that he tried not to think exactly what he was cleaning up as he scooped up the goo with his hands and dropped into the beaker.

Harry knelt beside the halfa and motioned to help.

"Best not Harry. Some of these samples can hurt humans. I'm only putting it in here as it's easier to eject into the Ghost Zone this way. Thanks for the help though," Danny interjected, stopping Harry from touching the goo.

"It can?" Harry gasped in surprise. Danny nodded.

"Why do you think my parents wear jumpsuits?" Danny pointed out. Harry nodded to himself, conceding the point.

"How's Ginny and Ted?" Danny asked conversationally as he scooped more of the goo into the beaker. Harry smiled.

"Ted is now living with his grandmother. Things have settled down for her after dealing with her husband's death and then Tonks and Lupin's deaths. There was an issue with the house apparently but it's all sorted now. Also, Ginny and I just had a son," Harry revealed. Danny looked up and blinked in shock before smiling.

"Congratulations Harry. What did you guys call him?" Danny inquired.

"James Sirius Potter. Named after my father and godfather. Voldemort killed my dad when I was a baby and Sirius was killed by his cousin after Voldemort came back," Harry answered. Danny nodded.

"Good role models for James to remember then. How old is he?" Danny commented with a sad smile. Harry nodded.

"Yeah… He's only a few months. But when we announced it, Ginny's family were a little worried about how it would affect Ted. We decided to alternate weeks with his grandmother and after a while, we asked which he preferred. He chose to live with his grandmother. She has a garden which we don't. But he's always welcome at ours and he comes to visit regularly," Harry explained. Danny nodded and continued scooping the goo into the beaker.

"James takes after Ginny a lot but his hair is starting to grow. Looks dark," Harry added fondly. Danny glanced at Harry and smirked.

"Must be hard being so far away," Danny remarked. Harry sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, it is. But no one else would take this whole ghost problem seriously… hopefully this assignment won't take long," Harry replied. Danny nodded.

"Same. I have a big test at college next week and I need to catch up on some notes. I let ghost hunting mess up high school, I'd rather not blow it in college," Danny informed the wizard.

"What are you studying?" Harry asked.

"Astro-physics and astronomy. It's supposed to be a good course to lead into becoming an astronaut. That's what I'd like to be but you know, Phantom has a bad habit of getting in the way," Danny answered. Harry smiled sympathetically.

"Don't worry Danny. I'm sure you'll get what you want. I thought I'd never get to be an auror since I didn't attend my last year of school. Lucky for me Kingsley, a high ranking auror elected our Minister for Magic, did away with those old restrictions directly after the war since a lot of aurors got killed and they didn't have enough. It'll work out for you Danny, things always do," Harry assured the halfa optimistically.

Danny chuckled as he dropped the last of the goo into the beaker.

"Not really one for fate Harry, but thanks," Danny remarked and turned his hands intangible over the beaker and the remaining goo on his fingers fell into the container. Danny then picked it up and scribbled out a note and stuck it on to the beaker, "Needs to be disposed of".

"Don't want to risk opening the portal while Walker could be right there. I'll deal with it later," Danny explained, noticing Harry's questioning frown.

 **So a nice little catch-up time between Harry and Danny. Let me know what you think so far. I love hearing what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

Harry and Danny returned to the living room and Danny smiled sympathetically as he heard his father's voice lecturing about the Spectre Speeder.

"You asked about ghosts didn't you," Danny realised and Harry sighed.

"Steven asked about an ecto-gun on the coffee table and before we knew it he started talking about how it worked and ectoplasm and from there ended up telling us about ghosts," Harry explained with an expression and tone of voice that told Danny that his father had been talking a long time. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, once you get dad started, it's hard to stop him. Mom probably didn't jump in because it was keeping Steven distracted from how long I was away," Danny replied knowingly.

They walked into the room and sat down. Danny picked up a cookie and smiled to his mother.

"You cleaned that all up already?" Maddie asked in surprise. Danny shrugged.

"Harry was a big help. But we're out of ghost samples. Haven't gotten rid of it yet but I've left it all in a labelled beaker," Danny explained and took a bite of his cookie. Maddie glanced at Harry.

"Thank you Harry," she called to him. Harry smiled.

The front door swung open at that moment and a teenage girl with blue eyes and black hair similar to Danny walked in wearing a red hoodie, jeans and a blue beanie.

"Oh, hey. Who's our visitor?" she asked loudly. Danny smirked and stood up.

"Hey Dani, how are you?" Danny replied. Danielle smiled at her cousin.

"Danny you're back!" she exclaimed, it was uncertain if she meant from college or the Ghost Zone but it didn't matter. He chuckled.

"Yep," he retorted and hugged her.

"How's school?" he inquired conversationally. Danielle grinned.

"Good. We're looking at Shakespeare," Danielle informed him happily. Danny nodded. Danielle flicked her gaze at Steven and back to Danny.

"Oh right. This is Steven Robinson and you remember Harry I'm sure," Danny answered her question finally and gestured to the wizards.

Danielle smiled at Harry and then frowned suspiciously at Steven. Steven waved to her in a friendly manner.

"Danny, a word?" Danielle announced and pulled Danny upstairs.

"Alright, spill. How much does Steven know and who is he? What's Harry doing here?" Danielle questioned accusingly. Danny sighed.

"Dani, relax. I'm not in trouble. They're both wizards and they're dealing with a ghost problem. You remember that big invasion two weeks ago, I just figured out that it was because Walker had a big break out. Steven doesn't know about Phantom. I was called in because Harry recommended me," Danny explained softly.

"Why are Harry and Steven dealing with this problem?" Danielle inquired, slightly less accusatory now.

"I think Steven is an auror and Harry is too. An auror is a wizard cop. Most of the ghost attacks are in Britain and America. Harry's from the British magical government and Steven's from the American one," Danny answered. Danielle's eyes widened in panic.

"What?! Danny, what if Steven finds out what you are, what _we_ are? He might tell the muggle government and the Guys in White will arrest us!" Danielle gasped worriedly. Danny pulled her into his room, mindful of how voices travelled downstairs on the landing.

"It's alright Dani, I've explained this to Harry. He's looking out for me. And Steven's only working with me, so you'll be fine. I won't let the Guys in White or Vlad or anyone hurt you, you know that. And I'll be careful. It took months before Harry learned my secret," Danny assured her with a calm smile, hiding his own inner panic. The idea of Steven learning what he was still terrified him but he wasn't going to tell Danielle or his parents that. If they knew he was so worried, they'd be even more so. Danielle nodded slowly, beginning to calm down herself.

"You're sure about this?" Danielle whispered. Danny sighed.

"As sure as I can be I guess. Besides, we're all on the same side. We all want to stop these ghosts and Steven and Harry have the resources to help. It's nothing I can't handle," Danny replied. Danielle gave him a small smile and pulled Danny into hug.

"Just be careful Danny. I don't know what we'd do if you got arrested," Danielle mumbled into his shirt. Danny smiled and hugged her back.

"I'm not going to be arrested. Besides there's no ghost hunter out there that can take down Danny Phantom. And magic doesn't seem to work on ghosts. Worst case scenario, I'll have to fight Steven," Danny reassured her.

They broke their hug and returned to the living room and Danielle apologised for her behaviour as she sat down and grabbed a cookie for herself.

"So, Walker had a break out," Danny announced, interrupting his father. Steven glanced meaningfully at Danielle, probably thinking that she shouldn't be in the room during the conversation. Danny smirked.

"Steven, this family is very familiar with ghosts and we all know about the magical world, or at least that it exists. Mightn't know what everything is and how it works but we know about wizards and witches," Danny informed him.

"You're sure?" Steven inquired, still clearly uncomfortable with the number of non-magical people in the room. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, I was just there checking it out. Didn't see a single guard or prisoner. Did meet the warden but that was it," Danny affirmed. Steven frowned.

"I thought you said that the warden wanted to arrest you," Steven recalled. Danny laughed and grabbed another cookie, leaning back.

"Like I said, he can't catch me. He tries but I think he let me get away this time. Gave me to the count of ten… well actually five but he did give me a head start," Danny admitted.

Danielle frowned.

"Wow, sounds like Walker's desperate for some help," she muttered, Danny nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry, am I missing something here?" Steven interjected. Danny turned to the wizard and shrugged.

"Walker isn't the type to play nicely Steven. He takes whatever chance he can get to get what he wants. For example, while chasing an escaped convict he came across me and a group of my peers. He kidnapped them to get me to help him into finding the escapee and to walk into a trap. Luckily I had a secret weapon," Danny recalled with a fond smile.

"Sam?" Harry guessed knowingly. Danny winked with a smirk in confirmation.

Steven frowned and glanced at Harry in confusion.

"His girlfriend," Harry explained. Steven hummed in understanding.

"Anyway, Walker had a break out. Not sure where we go from here but these ghosts are potentially dangerous," Danny resumed.

"Potentially?" Steven repeated confused.

"Walker arrests ghosts for any offense Steven. From carrying something from this world to breaking the Christmas Truce to stealing powerful ghost objects. Not all his prisoners will be evil, vengeful ghosts. But they may have taken their chance to escape if it came up," Danny elaborated. Steven nodded slowly.

"Doesn't seem very fair to me," the wizard muttered. Danny shrugged.

"Walker is a very obsessive, strict ghost. He's obsessed with keeping order and upholding the law, most of which he made up. Even the smallest thing is a big offense in Walker's eyes. When he arrested me, it was for driving the Spectre Speeder in the Ghost Zone. He deemed it an illegal vehicle and sentenced me to one thousand years imprisonment," Danny informed him. Steven gaped in shock at Danny.

"But, I'm not so sure that the escapees are our only problem here. There might be something else behind all these attacks," Danny added. Harry scowled in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Walker may be an obsessive creep, but he's smart. He knows how to run a prison. It is not easy to break out of there, which means that for such a successful break out, someone on the outside had to be involved. Also, ghosts don't generally work well together. There are exceptions where two or three ghosts work closely together or a group work towards a goal like Walker's guards or the Observants. But most of the time, ghosts work alone. Skulker and Ember are dating and I've never seen them work together. So either, all these ghosts became the best of friends in the slammer and decided to work together to exact revenge _or_ a powerful ghost broke them all out and in return they all do as that ghost says," Danny explained.

Steven and Harry shared a look.

"Any ideas?" Harry ventured. Danny shook his head.

"I only know of a handful of ghosts that would be strong enough to pull that off but most of them were already in the prison. Plasmius doesn't know about the magical world as far as I know, so unless it was an accident, witches and wizards wouldn't be attacked. But from how you two have spoken about it, these attacks aren't coincidences, they're targeted at witches and wizards specifically. Pariah Dark is locked away and he wouldn't bother with a prison break anyway. So it has to be a ghost I don't know. Also, I'd guess it's a ghost who knows a lot about your way of life. Unless it's a powerful ghost working with a wizard but I somehow doubt that. Like I said, ghosts don't like teamwork really," Danny answered thoughtfully.

Harry bit his lip.

"Could it be… what we dealt with before?" Harry wondered aloud. Danny shook his head.

"No, he wasn't strong enough for something like this Harry. That and he can't escape a thermos," Danny assured the wizard. Harry nodded and sighed with relief.

"What about that other thermos?" Harry asked carefully. Danny shook his head.

"No, he didn't know about the magical community," Danny replied. Steven glanced at Danny's family and saw that they were just as lost as he was after that second question.

"So any suggestions Steven?" Danny called. Steven scowled.

"Yeah, perhaps you can explain to me what you and Harry are talking about," Steven suggested stiffly. Danny scowled at Steven.

"No can do. It's one of those confidential things I can't talk to you about," Danny retorted firmly. Steven's scowl deepened.

"If you wish to continue working on this team, you will tell me," Steven threatened. Danny glared at the wizard.

"Let me get this straight! I'm helping you! Not the other way around. I don't want to work with you. I'm working with you because Harry asked me to. No other reason! I can go after these ghosts with or without you, doesn't matter to me," Danny growled menacingly.

Steven stood up.

"Don't test me. What can a no-maj do that a wizard can't?" Steven challenged. Danny stood up angrily.

"Why do all witches and wizards assume that because I'm not a wizard, I can't defend myself and do things?!" Danny exclaimed defensively. Harry quickly sensed a fight starting. He got up and put himself between his team members.

"Danny, no one's saying that," Harry began.

"No, Harry. That's exactly what I'm saying. If he refuses to be straight with me, I'm done working with him. I will not be treated like an idiot and lied to. If I don't know what's going on, then I can't protect him," Steven decided.

Harry turned to Steven.

"Steven don't be so hasty. Danny hasn't lied to you. And he doesn't need to be protected, trust me. We've worked together before and he's proven himself to be extremely capable. You haven't seen him in a ghost fight," Harry attempted to reason with the American wizard. Steven regarded Harry and shook his head.

"I'm sorry Harry. But I can tell that you all know something that I don't. I need to know these kinds of things if we're going to work together. Trust goes both ways. Thank you for your help Danny, but we don't require your assistance any longer. Sorry for any inconvenience," Steven concluded and turned to leave.

"Any inconvenience? Do you know what I've risked doing what I've done already?!" Danny exclaimed incredulously. Steven returned his gaze to Danny. Danny stepped around the coffee table and glared angrily at Steven.

"I know that wizards don't trust muggles or no-maj or whatever else. I know you can erase memories. You're two friends sent to collect me interrupted a very important lecture for me. They dragged me off campus in front of everyone! How am I supposed to explain that?! I risked my neck going into the Ghost Zone for you. And I'm not just talking about with Walker, I have a number of powerful ghost enemies. And all you can do is throw a temper tantrum because I won't tell you one thing! I have my reasons Steven but I have not lied to you about this problem," Danny informed the wizard, getting angrier and louder with each sentence.

The room was silent while Steven took in what Danny said. Steven cleared his throat and nodded.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of that. But I can't work with people I don't trust. I'll provide a reason for your removal from your college campus," Steven replied evenly. Danny shook his head.

"Don't bother," Danny growled and left the room. Harry looked from Steven to the kitchen doorway Danny had gone through and back again.

"I'll wait outside for you Harry," Steven decided. He turned to Maddie and Jack.

"I'm sorry, thank you for the talk and refreshments," Steven offered and left the house. Harry sighed as the door snapped shut softly.

Maddie smiled at the wizard and shook her head.

"It's probably for the best Harry. We were all concerned about Danny working so closely with an American wizard," Maddie remarked. Harry nodded.

"I guess, I need to talk with Danny though," Harry replied and asked if he could go into the kitchen after Danny with a hand gesture. Maddie nodded.

 **I know a bit of an over-reaction but on Steven's part but he's the type that relies on trust. After all the magical world can be a dangerous place and being an auror, teamwork would hinge on trust, at least that's my opinion.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

Harry found Danny in the lab firing ghost rays angrily at targets in his human form. He bit his lip and knocked softly on a nearby table. Danny turned to Harry and softened his angry expression.

"Oh, hey. Steven gone?" Danny asked. Harry nodded.

"I'm sorry Danny," Harry muttered. Danny shrugged.

"It's not your fault Harry. Guess I should have expected it after how the students at Hogwarts treated me. I just hate being told that I can't do things when I know I can," Danny replied quietly. Harry sighed and shook his head.

"I should have checked with you first if you wanted to get involved. Do you want me to keep you up to date with our investigation?" Harry inquired. Danny nodded.

"Definitely. Can't exactly ignore the whole ghosts rampaging thing. I may not be working with Steven anymore but I'm still on the case Harry. In fact I'm going to let a couple of hours go by and I'll start asking around in the Ghost Zone," Danny answered.

Harry smiled.

"I knew I could count on you Danny. But are you sure? I don't want to get you arrested," Harry retorted. Danny smirked.

"Without his guards, Walker's not a problem. I can take him if I have to, but I'll wait and let things calm down first. Frostbite has a lot of contacts and the Infi-map. I might be able to borrow the map and chase those ghosts. You'll probably see me around," Danny replied.

"I'll cover for you with Steven if you want," Harry offered. Danny smiled gratefully.

Steven looked up to Harry as he left Fenton Works.

"So what's our next step?" Steven asked. Harry shrugged.

"Guess we should go back to your office and go through all the locations of previous attacks and try to predict the next one," Harry suggested. Steven nodded and they began to walk back to the warehouse with the connected fireplace to use the Floo network.

Steven sighed loudly after five minutes of awkward silence and stopped. Harry turned to Steven and frowned in confusion.

"I want to get this straight. I don't mind working with no-majs. I mean one of my best friends is from a non-magical family. But I can't work with people I don't trust. I felt foolish back in that house. I know everyone knows something important that I don't. I'm sorry Harry. I know he's your friend but he's hiding something from me. And you're helping him," Steven explained. Harry didn't know what to say.

"Do you trust me?" Harry inquired carefully. Steven bit his lip and nodded.

"I know you're just keeping whatever Danny's hiding from me. I don't like being kept in the dark but I realise that it's not _your_ place to tell me. Just answer me this, if Danny's secret put someone in danger, what would you do?" Steven answered.

Harry frowned in thought.

"I don't know honestly. But I trust Danny and I don't think that situation would come up. But if it did, I guess I would try to help whoever that person is, and if I couldn't then I'd get help. But I doubt I'd ever tell anyone his secret if he didn't want me to," Harry decided. Steven nodded.

"Well, at least we know what we're dealing with now. Besides, it's probably better this way. Danny will be safer on the side lines," Steven commented and continued to walk to the warehouse. Harry chuckled as he began walking as well.

"You really don't know Danny very well. Danny isn't going to stop looking into this just because he's stopped working with us. We'll probably see him again during this investigation," Harry informed him.

Steven scowled.

"I doubt that Harry. No-majs don't have the resources we have. He wouldn't be able to get where he has to get to fast enough to help out," Steven decided. Harry smirked.

"Like Danny says, he could surprise you. I know he surprised me when I first met him," Harry replied as they entered the warehouse.

Harry sighed tiredly and dropped the file on the table. He took off his glasses and rubbed his sore eyes. They'd been reading files for almost three hours.

"I don't see a pattern anywhere," Harry muttered. Steven sighed and dropped his file on the table as well.

"Me neither. Wisconsin, Salem, Florida, New York. There's no connection! And Britain makes even less sense to me. London, Godric's Hollow. Norway has been attacked too. I really don't know where the next attack will be," Steven grumbled. Harry slipped his glasses back on.

"I wonder if Danny is doing any better. Maybe I should send this information to him," Harry suggested. Steven glared at him.

"We don't need Danny to figure this out," Steven snapped. Harry scowled.

"Look like it or not, Danny knows about ghosts. For all we know, these places might mean something to him," Harry huffed. Steven raised an eyebrow before sighing.

"Fine, tell him," Steven relented. Harry smiled.

"Do you know Fenton Works' phone number?" Harry asked. Steven shook his head and handed him a file.

"That's everything we have on the Fentons. If we have their number, it'll be there," Steven answered.

Harry opened the file and scanned the report. He smiled in triumph and took out his notepad and pencil and jotted down the number.

"I'll be back later," Harry called and walked out of the office and dug some change out of his pocket. He walked out of the building and found the first payphone he could. He put in his change into the coin slot and typed in the Fentons' number. He stood close to the phone and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" Maddie answered the phone.

"Oh hey! Mrs Fenton, is Danny there? I have some questions for him," Harry replied.

"I'm sorry Harry, he went into the Ghost Zone twenty minutes ago. But if you can stay on the phone, I might be able to link you to his Fenton phone," Maddie informed him.

"I'm on a payphone but I'll try to keep the call going," Harry assured her.

Harry waited and heard some static.

"Hello? Harry, can you hear me?" Danny's voice asked. Harry strained to hear the halfa through the static.

"Yeah! Yeah I hear you, can you hear me?" Harry answered loudly.

"Wow, not so loud. Yeah, loud and clear. So what did you want to ask me?" Danny replied. Harry smiled and pulled out his notebook where he'd noted the locations of the attacks.

"Me and Steven are trying to figure out where the next attack might be. But neither of us can see a connection. So just say if you see a connection and I'll list some of the places where ghosts have attacked. Ready?" Harry explained.

"Sure," Danny retorted.

Harry nodded.

"Alright. London, Godric's Hollow… Norway… New York, Florida… Amity Park, Salem, Wisconsin," Harry listed.

"Woah woah wait. Did you say Wisconsin?" Danny interrupted.

"Yeah, I did. Does that mean something to you?" Harry inquired.

"Where did you say before that?" Danny requested.

"Wisconsin, Salem, Amity Park, Florida, New York," Harry reread.

"Stop, forget about New York. The rest are to do with me. Was there an attack in Rome? China?" Danny informed him. Harry scanned his notes and nodded.

"Yeah," Harry affirmed.

"Can you send me a map of all the attack locations? I think I can figure out the next attack location," Danny requested.

Harry blinked.

"How can I send these?" Harry asked.

"Owl mail. I've seen you accept it enough to know how to do it myself," Danny suggested.

"You're sure?" Harry inquired.

"Sure, it'll be fine," Danny affirmed.

"You have five seconds remaining. If you wish to continue this call please input more," a cool female voice announced.

"Uh oh. Danny I'm out of change. I'm going to get cut off," Harry quickly exclaimed.

"It's fine Harry, just send an owl with that map," Danny assured him. Then the call ended.

Harry put the phone on the receiver and pulled out his pencil and marked the attack locations Danny had pointed out before he forgot. He turned back to MACUSA and returned to Steven's office.

"Well? Did Danny have the answers?" Steven asked. Harry frowned at the wizard's bitterness.

"Actually, he did. He pointed out a number of the attack locations, these ones," Harry retorted and showed his notebook to Steven. Steven frowned before looking at the list and raising an eyebrow.

"He asked me to send him a map of all the attack locations," Harry informed him.

"How are you sending him a map?" Steven inquired. Harry bit his lip.

"Er… owl mail," Harry answered. Steven blinked in surprise.

 **And we have a lead. Can anyone see a link between the locations Danny outlined? The answer is in the next chapter, so don't worry.**

 **And bonus point if you can figure out the connection with the other locations Danny didn't point out. All will be revealed in a few chapter's time.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

Danny flew back home after Harry's phone call. Frostbite hadn't had anything to say anyway. He shut the portal behind him and reverted back to human. An hour later Danny heard a tapping on the window. Danny jumped to his feet and ran to the window. Pecking the glass pane was a large brown owl with a large roll of paper tied to its leg. Danny grinned and opened the window for the bird.

The owl flew inside and landed on the living room coffee table. Danny followed it and carefully untied the roll and unfurled it. He laid the map out on the table and the owl hopped onto the couch.

"Mom, do we have anything that owls like to eat?!" Danny shouted. Maddie walked into the room and screamed in surprise.

"Why's there a bird in the house?!" Maddie shouted.

"Calm down mom, it's a mail owl. Wizards don't use the post to send letters. They use owls. Harry sent me a map with all the ghost attack locations marked on it. Can you please find something that it'll like to eat, it flew from New York," Danny explained. Maddie blinked in surprise before sighing in annoyance and went into the kitchen to rifle through the cupboards for something for the owl.

Danny smirked at his mother's back and turned back to the map and scanned the map. He frowned before he ran into the kitchen and grabbed a pen from a drawer. He ran back to the map and ringed places he recognised and knew meant something to him.

"Vlad," he murmured to himself.

"But these places don't mean anything to me. Vlad must be working with someone else. But I can figure out where Vlad will attack next," Danny muttered to himself glancing at the rest of the attacks. He looked over the map and tapped the attack in Florida.

"That was a direct attack. Technus must have been part of it. I should have realised then!" Danny growled angrily.

Danny sighed away his anger at himself and continued to survey the map. He frowned and tapped the Rockies.

"No attack here yet. I wonder…" Danny mumbled to himself.

"I didn't know exactly what owls eat so I brought this," Maddie called as she returned into the living room carrying a tin of sardines and a can of ham. The owl cooed happily and Maddie put down the ham first and opened it.

"How's that?" Maddie asked before frowning at herself.

"I'm talking to a bird," she muttered. The owl nipped her finger gently and began to pick out some meat and swallowed the ham.

"That bird bit me!" Maddie exclaimed angrily.

"Mom, it's just saying thanks. Can you see anything connecting any of these attacks?" Danny replied. Maddie frowned at the owl before looking at the map.

"Well, that's where I went to college. Isn't that where your college is?" Maddie commented pointing to Wisconsin and then to Florida. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, anything else?" Danny prompted. Maddie glanced at her son before looking at the map again.

"That's where Vlad's castle is, right? And that's where Vlad has a company. Wait, are all these attacks to do with Vlad!?" Maddie asked as Danny marked the attack location near Vlad's company. Danny shook his head.

"Not all of them. But some are. I think Vlad is working with the ghost that organised the prison break and ordered those attacks on witches and wizards. I'm trying to figure out the next attack," Danny explained.

Maddie tapped her chin before frowning in thought.

"Do you know which attacks happened first?" Maddie inquired. Danny shook his head.

"This is what I'm working with mom. Why, got an idea?" Danny replied.

"It's just… most of the attacks are concentrated around Amity Park. They seem to spread out from here. I can't help but think that Vlad is trying to draw you out. I don't like this sweetie," Maddie pointed out. Danny glanced at his mother.

"I know mom, but I have to help Harry and Steven. These ghosts are dangerous and this is my only lead. I'll be careful mom I promise. But I need to figure out where Vlad will strike next. So any ideas?" Danny assured her.

Maddie shook her head and sighed.

"Alright. I hope you know what you're doing. My best guess is here. Where he tricked us into visiting his chalet. It's the next closest place that I can see is connected to Vlad," Maddie relented and pointed to the Rockies. Danny nodded and ringed the Rockies.

"That was my guess too," Danny remarked. He rolled up the map again and grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a note explaining what he'd figured out.

"Come here," he called to the owl. The owl looked at him and cocked its head to the side. It pecked another piece of ham out of the tin and swallowed it. The owl then hopped over to Danny and held out its leg for him. Danny smirked at his mother's bewildered look.

"They're trained from a young age," Danny informed her. Danny held the map and note to the owl's leg.

"Hey mom, mind tying that string around this?" Dany requested. Maddie grabbed the string Danny had untied from the owl and tied it around the map and note.

Once she had finished the owl shook its leg before turning to the still open window.

"Take that straight to Harry Potter in MACUSA alright. Do you understand?" Danny ordered. The owl cocked its head at him and flew out of the window. Danny blinked after the owl.

"I really hope that was a yes. I didn't make a copy or anything," Danny muttered. Maddie nodded and turned to the tins she brought it.

"Huh, that bird ate all that ham," Maddie commented. Danny chuckled.

"It did have a long flight. I need to catch up on some notes and explain a few things to Joseph. Night mom," Danny told his mother and grabbed his backpack from his lecture earlier and headed upstairs to his room, digging out his phone as he walked. Maddie smiled at her son and picked up both tins to sort.

Harry and Steven walked into MACUSA the next morning.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you for the night. I really should have looked up some accommodation," Harry thanked Steven again. Steven shook his head.

"Not a problem Harry. I'm just relieved that Nina didn't mind you coming on such short notice," Steven replied, chuckling at the memory of the near argument with his wife the previous night. Harry smiled.

Steven opened his office and stopped in his tracks.

"How did an owl get in my office?!" he exclaimed. Harry joined him and frowned at the owl before noticing the paper tied to the owl's leg.

"I think that's the owl I sent to Danny yesterday," Harry remarked and ventured closer to the owl. The owl blinked at him and cocked its head at him. It lifted its leg and Harry untied the paper and found the map he sent Danny and a written note. The owl then flew over Steven's head and out of the office, presumably to return to its owlery.

Harry unrolled the map and scanned it.

"This is the map I sent Danny," Harry muttered with a questioning frown.

"Wait, look there. These attacks have been marked," Steven pointed out, looking at the map as well. Harry blinked and nodded.

"Yeah, these must be attacks Danny can connect. Hang on, look at this. There hasn't been an attack here but Danny ringed it," Harry noticed. Steven frowned at it. Harry recalled the note and unfolded it.

"Harry, I know for certain now that Plasmius is involved now. But he's working with another ghost I don't know. Plasmius isn't behind all these attacks but he is involved in the ones I marked. I think the next attack Plasmius is going to lead will be in the Rockies. I can't explain how I know, but I do know he's involved. I don't know how fast owl mail is exactly but I'm heading to the Rockies tomorrow. Should be there by midday. Come if you want," Harry read out loud. Steven took the note from Harry and read it over in his head.

"You're sure that Danny wrote this," Steven asked. Harry smiled and nodded.

"Positive. I recognise his handwriting. Besides, Danny has mentioned Plasmius before," Harry replied.

Steven bit his lip and sighed.

"Alright, I'll go get clearance from my superiors. I'll get a bunch of aurors together and we'll head to the Rockies. This better not be a wild goose chase," Steven decided. Harry smiled as Steven walked out of the office. Harry turned to the map.

"Knew you'd figure it out Danny," Harry whispered with a chuckle. He folded up the map and put it in his pocket. Steven returned a few minutes later.

"We have the go ahead. A few portkeys are going to be set up for us. We're leaving in two hours and thirty three minutes," Steven announced.

Danny came out of the portal and tucked the Infi-map into his belt. He frowned at the woods around him.

"Ugh, I hate this place. This place is never good. Guess I should start looking for the fruit loop," Danny grumbled and flew off in search of Vlad's chalet. He found the chalet after half an hour and he phased inside and searched it.

"There's a house! Sir, should we search inside?" A man shouted. Danny turned himself invisible and phased outside. He smirked as he noticed Harry walking with Steven at the back of a large group of witches and wizards. He floated down and landed beside Harry.

"Don't react, it's just me," Danny whispered in Harry's ear. Harry jumped before sighing to relax.

"You alright?" Steven asked worriedly.

"Yeah, sorry. Fly buzzed in my ear. Startled me," Harry lied. Steven smiled. Harry stopped under the pretence of tying his shoe and allowed Steven to go ahead of him.

"Glad you could make it. No sign of Vlad yet," Danny muttered. Harry shook his head.

"We need to figure out a better way for you to alert me to your presence without scaring me so much," Harry grumbled as he stood up. Danny stifled a laugh.

"You get used to it," Danny assured him. Harry glared at the voice.

"I'd rather not," Harry mumbled.

"So, look in that house yet?" Harry asked, hiding his mouth behind his hand. Danny nodded before realising that he was invisible.

"Yeah, it's empty. That's Vlad's chalet. Vlad Masters or Vlad Plasmius. He's a halfa like me," Danny answered.

"Wait, Plasmius. As in Danielle's…er dad?" Harry recalled. Danny hummed in dislike.

"Guess you could call him that, yeah. He's a creep and a fruit loop. This was where he made her," Danny replied. Harry blinked and turned to Danny.

"Here!?" Harry exclaimed. He suddenly felt a hand over his mouth.

"Not so loud. I'd rather not be found like this. I'm Phantom right now," Danny hissed in his ear.

The hand moved away.

"Sorry. Just… surprised," Harry muttered nervously. Danny smiled.

"It's fine Harry. We don't have to talk about this, in fact I'd prefer we didn't. Dani doesn't like talking about this stuff and I feel a little awkward talking about it behind her back," Danny replied. Harry smiled thankfully.

"Yeah, I understand. But you're sure this is the place?" Harry retorted.

"Pretty sure. I've been here twice before. Both against my will, I'll add. We're just missing the crazy guy," Danny answered.

Harry shivered as a sudden chill filled the air.

"And that'll be him. Keep all these aurors over here. I'm going to find Vlad," Danny informed Harry and floated up into the air.

"Wait! Danny! Danny?" Harry called softly.

"You alright Harry? You look worried?" Steven asked as he walked over to Harry.

"What? Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Just wondering where Danny is," Harry quickly answered.

Steven raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Yeah, he did say he'd be here. Guess he couldn't find something to bring him here on such short notice or whatever. Probably a good thing though. Don't want him getting hurt if there's a ghost attack," Steven reasoned with a shrug. Harry bit his lip to stop himself assuring Steven that Danny could handle himself in a fight. Harry nodded.

"Right. Are we going to check that house?" Harry inquired, eager to change the subject. Steven glanced over his shoulder and nodded.

"Yep, we just wanted to check that there weren't any no-majs inside first. Would rather not have to oblivate people if we can help it," Steven answered with a smile. Harry returned the smile and made his way closer to the chalet.

 **So… Vlad and a bunch of aurors… yeah. Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

Danny flew over the trees and scanned the forest below for any sign of Vlad or another ghost. Suddenly he saw a flash of white and he stopped and floated down towards the clearing.

"Vlad?! I know you're around here!" Danny yelled and the older half ghost appeared in front of him.

"Well done Daniel, you _finally_ saw my invitation. I had thought that little attack on your college would have been enough of a clue but oh well. Better late than never right my boy?" Vlad remarked cockily. Danny scowled at Vlad.

"Uh huh. And this was obvious to you? Attack a bunch of random places with your new boss's escaped army. Not your best trap Vlad, and I know it's a trap," Danny retorted.

Vlad grinned evilly.

"My boy, you were meant to know that this was a trap. Just like your little wizard friends were meant to bring all those aurors," Vlad informed him. Danny frowned.

"What? How did you know about me working with wizards?" Danny asked with barely hidden worry. Vlad sniggered.

"Daniel, I know about your little teaching job in Hogwarts. Why they asked you to teach their students about ghosts is beyond me but there you are," Vlad commented. Danny scowled at the older halfa.

"How do you know about that?" Danny demanded. Vlad laughed mockingly.

"Daniel, you may have found those cameras I placed in your home, but there are other ways for me to keep an eye on you," Vlad answered. Danny grimaced in disgust.

"Do you have any idea how creepy that is? I think you need your head examined, V-man," Danny quipped. Vlad frowned in annoyance.

"I am not insane. And I'm done talking to you. I'm sure I've kept you here long enough," Vlad decided.

Danny's eyes widened. He turned back towards the chalet.

"Oh no. This was a distraction!" Danny realised. Vlad sniggered evilly and grabbed Danny's arm. He pulled it painfully back and held it in place.

"That's right little badger. And I must say, you are a wonderfully obedient pawn. And for your information, I'm an equal partner in this endeavour," Vlad whispered gleefully in Danny's ear. Danny struggled against Vlad but he had an incredibly strong grip on his arm and couldn't be thrown off. Danny turned his arm intangible but at exactly the same moment Vlad did the same and Danny couldn't escape.

"Come along Daniel. I wouldn't want you to miss all the fun. After all, you still have a part to play in all this," Vlad sneered and led Danny towards the chalet.

Harry didn't know what happened. One minute they were carefully searching the chalet for any sign of ghosts or, as many wizards believed, disguised wizards playing a dangerous joke. The next, they were being attacked by a lot of ghosts. It was complete chaos and Harry lost sight of Steven. They were chased out of the chalet and separated throughout the nearby trees. Harry leant against a tree and tried to catch his breath.

"Where did Danny go? We need him," Harry mumbled to himself breathlessly. He flinched as he saw a ghostly green tiger lunge onto a witch and began to mercilessly maul her.

Harry gasped and pointed his wand at the ghost before growling in annoyance. It was official, magic didn't work on ghosts, at least not duelling spells. Harry bit his lip and put away his wand and picked up a broken branch off the ground and threw it at the tiger. It hit the ghost on the head and the ghost turned to Harry. Harry gulped down his nerves and glared at the ghostly feline. It chuckled and slunk away from the bleeding, whimpering witch.

"Oh look what we have here. A hero," the ghost taunted. Suddenly Harry felt two very sharp clawed hands grab his shoulders from behind.

"I hate heroes," a female voice hissed.

Harry glanced behind him and saw a shadowy ghost with blood red eyes.

"Spectra," Harry gasped. The ghost blinked before grinning.

"Oh, I see you've spoken with the freak. I wonder, what did he tell you about me?" Spectra remarked with an excited glint in her eyes.

"Not much just that you usually work with another ghost, Bertrand. A shapeshifter," Harry answered stiffly, deducing that Spectra was referring to Danny as a freak. Spectra frowned, clearly disappointed.

"I see. Well, right now, Danny doesn't matter. You're who I'm concerned with. So, tell me… do you know what a psychiatrist is?" Spectra asked. Harry glared at her.

"Yeah, and I don't need one," Harry growled.

"Oh, do I detect a deeper reason for that hostility? I have a feeling that you've been called crazy before haven't you?" Spectra commented. Harry's glare intensified as he was forced to recall the Daily Prophet's articles when he was fifteen. Spectra grinned.

"Yes, I know. It's not easy is it? That kind of accusation doesn't go away. People might say that they believe you're not crazy, but you can always tell by the way they look at you. Am I right?" Spectra began. Harry suddenly felt a wave of misery flow over him and with it his will to fight reduced. Harry glanced at his hand and silently read the faint scars, "I must not tell lies" still there.

"Oh, and you were called a liar. But then again, the fact that you know about Danny being a freak, you are a liar aren't you?" Spectra pointed out. Harry's misery grew as he was forced to recall how alone he had felt during his fifth year of school and that led to remembering his second year of school and how no one had trusted him.

"Hmm, I wonder. Does anyone trust you? After all you are branded a liar and been deemed insane. Does anyone look up to you? Did she only marry you because she felt bad for you," Spectra whispered in his ear, noticing Harry's wedding ring.

"Perhaps, she's just waiting for the right moment to have you admitted into a mental hospital and taking everything. I mean, I can feel it. You're a mess. Who could ever love you?" Spectra continued, grinning greedily as Harry's misery grew even more. She drank it in. The tiger smirked at her and crept closer, enjoying the sight of Harry losing himself to his sadness and self-hate.

"Harry!" Steven shouted as he noticed Harry, having been checking over the witch, unnoticed by either ghost or the depressed wizard. Harry looked up at Steven and suddenly recalled that he'd asked if Steven trusted him. Did he really? Spectra was right. He was a liar and he was a mess.

Steven gasped at the defeated look in Harry's eyes. He'd given up on his wand as well, noticing that spells had no effect. The ghost tiger turned to face Steven.

"I'm sorry, Spectra's busy right now, you'll have to make an appointment," the tiger apologised mockingly and pounced on Steven.

"Steven!" Harry exclaimed.

"Why bother Harry? You can't help him. Those fancy little wood sticks can't do anything against us. And what can a wizard do without his wand?" Spectra reminded him. Harry frowned sadly before scowling in thought.

"No! I can still do things without a wand. Muggles can fight ghosts without magic. And so can I!" Harry realised and spun around on his heel, brushing Spectra's hands off his shoulders.

"I've never let anything stop me doing what's important before, and I'm not starting now!" Harry decided. Spectra shrank away from Harry worriedly.

"Bertrand?" she called nervously. The tiger stopped snapping at Steven's neck tauntingly and turned to Spectra. He gasped.

"Don't worry Spectra," he replied and leapt off Steven and ran to his partner's aid. Steven got to his feet and ran after Bertrand. He tackled the tiger and Harry punched at Spectra. She yelped in fear and flew away. Bertrand shapeshifted into a blob and squeezed out of Steven's grasp and chased after Spectra.

Harry leant against the tree again and sighed a deep breath.

"I don't want to ever come across her again. That was horrible," Harry muttered. Steven got up and walked over to Harry.

"Are you alright now?" he ventured. Harry looked at Steven and pushed away the worries about the wizard trusting him. He nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. How's she?" Harry replied and nodded to the witch Bertrand had attacked. Steven shook his head and ran over to her, pulling out his wand. Harry followed suit. Together they cast some healing spells on the more life threatening wounds. Steven then helped her to her feet.

"Let go!" Harry heard Danny shout from above. He looked up and gasped at the sight of Danny Phantom being held captive by a blue skinned ghost with black hair and wearing a white suit. Then the other ghost disappeared but Harry could tell by the way Danny was struggling, the ghost was still holding him. Suddenly Danny screamed in agony as pink electricity crackled around him. Harry's eyes widened in fear as he saw Danny's white rings appear around his waist and he unintentionally changed into Danny Fenton. Then he plummeted to the ground.

"Danny," Harry breathed and ran towards where the halfa was falling. He fumbled with his wand and repeated the spell in his head to use the moment he saw Danny through the tree canopy. Arresto momentum. He just hoped that that spell would work.

Steven's eyes widened in shock as he held the witch's arm around his neck and gave her support once she struggled to her feet.

"Harry, did you-" Steven began but Harry ran off before he could finish he thought, his question already answered. He frowned as he recalled how Danny had looked before he changed into Danny Fenton.

Danny lost consciousness as he reverted back to human. He woke a split second before he hit the ground. The air was knocked out of him and he groaned in agony.

"There he is! Grab him!" Danny heard a male voice order. Danny's vision was blurred as he looked up. The next thing he knew he was being dragged to his feet and his arms were pulled behind his back and held in place by four strong hands.

"Wha? What's going on?" Danny asked blearily.

"You're coming with us creature," the man informed him. Danny blinked, trying to understand what was happening.

"Coming where?" he questioned.

"Back to MACUSA," the man answered. Danny's head finally caught up with what was happening.

"Wait, no. You have to listen to me. You have to let me go," Danny attempted realising that the wizards were arresting him.

"Not likely. You're a dangerous creature we need to investigate," the man retorted firmly.

"No I'm not!" Danny argued.

"Checkmate Daniel," Vlad breathed in his ear. Danny jerked away from the voice and scowled angrily. The wizards began to lead him away.

"No! You have to listen to me! This is a set up! This is what they want! Don't you see, they want to get rid of me! Let me go!" Danny shouted desperately. Harry burst through the trees and saw Danny being arrested. He had a large cut on his head that Harry guessed was from the fall.

"Danny!" Harry called to him. Danny turned to Harry.

"Harry, you have to get them to listen! This is a set up! Vlad is trying to get rid of me! You have to stop them!" Danny yelled. Harry gasped and ran after Danny. One of the wizards broke away from the group surrounding Danny and intercepted Harry.

"Sorry, you can't interfere Mr. Potter," the wizard told him.

"You don't understand. Danny isn't dangerous. You have to let him go. Didn't you see that one of those ghosts caused him to fall?" Harry reasoned. The wizard shook his head.

"It wasn't a ghost Mr Potter. It was one of my colleagues. We saw that creature just floating up there and started casting spells and one of them worked," the wizard informed Harry.

Harry shook his head.

"Magic doesn't work on ghosts," Harry muttered in disbelief. Hadn't these aurors learned that by now?!

"Well, one spell did or a combination of spells did. Whichever, we finally caught one of them," the wizard decided. Harry shook his head. He attempted to run past the wizard but the man grabbed him.

"Danny! Danny! Listen! I'm going to help you! I promise, I'm going to get you out of this!" Harry vowed. The halfa paused his shouting to glance fearfully at Harry. One of the wizards picked up a large stone and cast a portkey spell on it. Before Harry could try to chase Danny again, they disappeared as the portkey took them back to New York presumably.

Harry stepped back out of the wizard's grip. He blinked at the now empty space where Danny had been. The ghosts had all disappeared and Harry knew why. They'd accomplished what they wanted. Danny had been arrested by the MACUSA. Harry shook his head and turned to see Steven and the wounded witch emerge from the trees. Harry bit his lip and stared at the last place he'd seen Danny, hoping he could follow through on his promise.

 **And Danny's worst fears come to life. Secret exposed and arrested. So let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

Danny would have fallen after the portkey stopped if it hadn't been for the wizards holding him.

"Stupid creature, probably thinks we'll let it go if it plays dead," one of the wizards grunted. Danny pushed down his nausea and tried to ignore his dizziness.

"Please, listen to me. I'm not dangerous! I'm on your side!" Danny resumed his desperate reasoning.

"Shut up," another wizard ordered.

"No! You have to believe me! I want to help you!" Danny retorted. He was shoved down the dimly lit corridor and into a small room. He was pushed down into a chair and his arms held down against the arm rests. Suddenly chains snaked their way across his body and bound his arms and legs and torso to the chair. They were so tight they cut into his flesh.

The wizards then filed out.

"No! Stop! Listen! This is a set up! It's exactly what the ghosts want!" Danny screamed as they slammed the door shut, leaving him in darkness.

"They want me out of the way," Danny finished in a defeated whisper.

"And I am," he thought to himself bitterly. His dizziness and nausea returned as the adrenaline faded. Danny leant his head back and shut his eyes and groaned as the spinning in his head returned.

The moment Harry, Steven and the wounded witch returned by portkey to MACUSA, Harry sprinted down the corridor to find Danny. Steven took the witch to get better trained medical help before tracking down Danny himself.

Harry ran straight for the front desk. Despite having spent the majority of the evening in the building yesterday, he didn't know the layout. He skidded to a stop in front of the witch sitting behind the welcome desk.

"Hey, where did they take Danny? The aurors arrested someone, where did they take him?" Harry asked before the witch could inquire what he wanted. The witch blinked in surprise.

"Suspects are taken to the third floor detainment room and their wands are confiscated. I'm sorry, but visitors are not permitted," the witch explained with an air that suggested that she'd explained this before. Harry shook his head.

"There's been a misunderstanding, thanks," Harry concluded and ran to the lifts.

Harry emerged on the third floor and marched down the carpeted hallway, checking each door sign for the detainment room. He found it and spotted a hatch on the door. It could only be opened on the outside and it was clearly so that aurors could check on their suspects without opening the door. Harry opened the hatch and peered inside. He spotted a witch sitting in the corner, looking furious. He also saw three wizards pacing the room. Harry craned his neck to see if Danny was just keeping his distance from the magical folk but there was no sign of Danny.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing?" a male voice called behind him. Harry spun around and the hatch snapped shut.

"Where did you take Danny?" Harry demanded, recognising the wizard as one of the many aurors that had arrested Danny.

"The creature? We've taken him where he deserves," the wizard answered.

"He's not a creature! He's a person! And you have to let him go, he's done nothing wrong," Harry exclaimed angrily. Now he understood why Danny was so protective of his secret. Within an hour of it being blown, he changed from a defenceless muggle to a dangerous creature in this man's eyes.

The wizard shook his head and sighed.

"You didn't see it, but that creature is one of those _ghosts_. He's dangerous Mr Potter and must be dealt with. I understand it's hard, but it's alright to admit that you were wrong. That creature is pretty convincing. No one would blame you if you took a break from this investigation Mr Potter," the wizard replied, giving Harry an understanding and sympathetic smile. Harry blinked and shook his head.

"No, you don't understand. He's not with those ghosts. He's on our side! Where did you take him?" Harry retorted. The wizard shook his head sadly.

"Mr Potter, let this go. He's out of auror jurisdiction anyway. The department of dangerous magical creatures have him now," the wizard informed him. Harry's eyes widened. He shook his head.

"No. No! He's not dangerous. Where is that department?" Harry inquired. The wizard's eyes widened in worry.

"Mr. Potter, if you don't stop this, I'll be forced to detain you. You should be glad, one of those dangerous creatures has been caught and now we can figure out what we're dealing with. This is the break we've been looking for," the wizard warned him. Harry bit his lip. If he got arrested then he wouldn't be able to help Danny. Harry nodded reluctantly.

"I'll… be in Steven's office if you need me," Harry relented, feeling horrible for listening to the wizard.

Steven left the injured witch behind in the infirmary and walked straight to the department for dangerous magical creatures. He wanted to talk to Danny. He wanted to understand. Steven was now certain that this had been the secret he had sensed. Harry had known about Danny and had even tried to help him. Steven stopped outside the head of department's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a female voice called. Steven stepped inside.

"Hello Cecilia," Steven greeted the witch. She smiled warmly at him.

"Steven. How can I help you?" Cecilia retorted kindly.

Steven smiled.

"Recently a creature was apprehended by a team of aurors, I'd like to talk to it," Steven informed her. Cecilia bit her lip.

"I'm sorry Steven, I can't let you talk to it. But, I can let you see it. Two of my wizards are already questioning it and testing a large variety of spells on it to find one that works," Cecilia answered. Steven nodded.

"I understand, thank you," Steven replied. Cecilia smiled and scribbled a note for him to show guards that he had permission to see the creature.

Steven took the note and went to the holding cell that Danny was being held in. He showed a couple of security wizards the note and soon was in the observation room. Danny didn't look too well. His head wound contrasted sharply with his pale skin. He was sweating profusely and he looked extremely dazed. He was tied to a chair by a number of chains. Steven bit his lip and ventured close to a speaker so that it could hear what was being said.

"How many of you are there?" one of the wizards questioned. Danny shook his head.

"Please, turn down the heat. If you don't I'll die," Danny slurred. The wizards gave a humourless bark of laughter.

"Right, we turn down the heat and you escape, not likely. Answer our question," the second wizard retorted. Danny shook his head.

"Not answering that," Danny mumbled. The first wizard pointed his wand at Danny and a string of electricity struck Danny. He yelped in pain.

"Make a note, this lightning spell works," the first wizard called to the second.

"Please, listen to me. This is what those ghosts want. I can stop them, but you have to let me go," Danny pleaded weakly. The wizards frowned at him.

"How many times, you're not a ghost! You're some creature that can be mistaken for a ghost," the second wizard snapped.

"Poor beast, doesn't even know what it is," the first wizard muttered.

Steven watched the scene with growing regret and concern. He may not know much about whatever Danny was but he could tell that he wasn't lying about being on death's door. Steven flinched in sympathy as Danny was struck again by the lightning spell and was so weak that he hardly moved. He bit his lip. He shook his head and sighed.

"I'm not going to get answers here. I need to speak with Harry," Steven decided and left the observation room.

Harry had looked through every file he could find. He had to do something. If he could prove that Danny wasn't involved in these attacks then maybe he could save the halfa. Steven walked in and frowned at the number of files strewn around the room.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Steven asked. Harry looked up.

"Trying to help Danny. Look I know it looks bad but you don't know Danny like I do and I know he's not dangerous," Harry replied. Steven bit his lip and shook his head.

"There's something you need to know. There was a theory that these ghosts had a leader. We spotted him a few times leading the attacks but never got a clear picture. But… it looked a lot like Danny's other… appearance," Steven informed him. Harry blinked at Steven.

"I don't believe that. Like I said, you don't know him like I do," Harry repeated. Steven sighed and got the file he'd compiled on the leader sightings. He handed it to Harry. Harry stared at the file and nervously opened it. He blinked in shock at the picture. It wasn't clear but Harry couldn't deny that the figure had white hair and wore black and white.

"No, there has to be another explanation. I know Danny. He would never attack anyone. Not like this. He hunts ghosts, that's all. He's being set up," Harry denied the proof in front of him.

"Harry…" Steven began and cautiously drew nearer the distressed wizard.

"No! Steven, you don't know Danny like I do. He's been set up before and he's being set up now. Just trust me. I don't have to hide Danny's secret anymore. I'm being honest with you. You told me that you trusted me!" Harry exclaimed desperately.

Steven stopped and stared at Harry. He considered the wizard. He hadn't lied when he said he trusted Harry. But Danny… could he trust that creature enough to believe that he'd been honest with Harry?

"Okay, answer my questions as best as you can… and I'll consider our next move," Steven relented. Harry scowled with determination.

"What do you want to know?" Harry asked. Steven smiled.

"What is Danny?" Steven inquired. Harry nodded.

"It's a long story. But I'll try to keep it brief. Danny is something called a halfa. Half ghost, half human," Harry began.

"Wait, you mean his mom or dad is-" Steven muttered with a mixture of disgust and disbelief. Harry shook his head.

"No. Danny wasn't born a halfa. His parents created a muggle device called the Fenton Ghost portal. It didn't work and when Danny was fourteen, he went inside and accidently switched it on. When Danny told me about it, he said he didn't really remember what happened only that it hurt. Then he woke up like… that other Danny. He calls his ghost half Danny Phantom," Harry explained.

Steven frowned in thought.

"But ghosts can't do the things these ghost can," Steven mumbled. Harry shook his head.

"There are three types. Poltergeists, wizarding ghosts and the ghosts that Danny deals with. These ghosts can chose to be intangible, er… go through things. They can use their ghost energy as weapons too. I didn't know about that until I met Danny," Harry informed him. Steven bit his lip.

"How did you meet Danny?" Steven ventured. Harry smiled.

"Danny taught in Hogwarts for a year, as did I," Harry answered.

Steven scowled in confusion.

"So, everyone at Hogwarts knew about this?" Steven accused. Harry shook his head.

"No, only a few of the staff and the ghosts. Minerva McGonagall, Poppy Pomfrey, Rubeus Hagrid and me. Oh, and my friends and wife know about Danny. But we all agreed to keep Danny's secret," Harry explained. Steven shook his head.

"Why?" Steven whispered.

"Because Danny was afraid that _this_ would happen. He'd be arrested and treated like some creature. Apparently there are muggle ghost hunters after him too. It was why he didn't want to work with you. He was worried you'd find out about him and from there it would spiral out of control. Steven, he was scared of being experimented on," Harry answered. Steven's eyes widened in shock.

"Do you know how he differs from… normal humans?" Steven asked cautiously. Harry bit his lip.

"Not really. I know that heat is dangerous for him. He has an ice core. It means he can form ghost ice. It makes him resilient against cold temperatures but if he gets too hot, his core could melt and he'd drown. Why? Is that important?" Harry replied and frowned with concern as the other wizard began to look worried.

"I saw him a little while ago. He asked the wizards questioning him to turn down the heat. It's that serious?" Steven muttered. Harry nodded.

"Yes! If he's asking them to turn it down, you have to. His core wears him out when he gets too warm because it tries to cool him down. But if he's already tired, it gets dangerous," Harry exclaimed, panicking at the news. He'd seen first-hand how dangerous it was for Danny to get too hot. But the difference this time was he was helpless to help the halfa. Steven glanced at the door and came to a decision. He'd trust Harry's judgement. He shut the door and turned to Harry.

"If we're going to help Danny, you need to tell me what he can do. I need to know everything if we have a chance of breaking him out of there," Steven told Harry determinedly.

 **See, Steven's not a bad guy… just needed to know he could trust Danny first. Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

Steven smiled to a passing witch as they walked through the building. Harry, luckily, had brought his bag into work and had been able to craft together a disguise for himself. He'd transfigured his appearance too so that he no longer had green eyes, black hair and a scar. He had hidden his scar and changed his hair colour to brown. He'd also changed his eyes to a brown colour. He was also wearing extravagant wizard robes that he would never normally wear, reserved for disguise purposes only. The plan was that Steven would introduce Harry as an expert on magical creatures brought in to help with Danny. Hopefully that would give the wizards already in with Danny enough confidence to leave them alone long enough to get Danny out of there.

They walked down to the room where Danny was being held, Steven using a forged note to get past the guards. Steven showed the note to the guard at the door.

"Hmm… didn't know Cecilia called someone in already. Only been here a couple of hours," the wizard commented. Steven smiled, hiding his nerves.

"Yeah, but we all understand the importance of getting answers out of that creature right? So, who's in there right now?" Steven replied. The wizard frowned.

"No one, it seemed to pass out twenty minutes ago. The guys are trying to figure out how to get it to wake up. Went to get some potion ingredients," the wizard answered. Harry bit his tongue to stop himself asking any questions out of concern. Steven nodded.

"Right, well, I'll show our expert in and let him get started. Might be able to figure out why its doing what its doing," Steven reasoned. The wizard shrugged and opened the door for them.

Harry and Steven stepped inside and the moment the door snapped shut, Harry rushed over to Danny. Danny was still bound to the chair by chains and looked extremely pale. He also seemed to have some difficulty in breathing evenly. His head wound looked nasty compared to his white skin.

"He's too hot. We have to cool him down," Harry muttered worriedly. Steven nodded and put out the old fashioned fiery torches with a flick of his wand. The room was plunged into darkness. Steven and Harry lit their wands.

"Danny? Come on, wake up," Harry whispered and felt his forehead. He bit his lip and recalled when Danny had passed out in Hagrid's cabin.

"Aguamenti," Harry mumbled and a stream of water burst from his wand over the halfa.

Danny's eyes snapped open and he coughed up the water he'd accidently swallowed. He blinked blearily at Harry.

"Wha?" he murmured, still dazed.

"Danny, it's me. Can you hear me?" Harry called softly.

"Ha-Harry? What happened? What's going on?" Danny mumbled confused. Harry frowned in concern. He patted Danny's wet cheek as the halfa's head lolled to the side.

"Come on Danny. Get it together. Tell me what you need," Harry begged. Danny grunted tiredly.

"Core too hot," Danny breathed as he threatened to pass out again.

"Steven, we need to cool Danny down more," Harry told the other wizard, who until this point had kept a respectful distance away.

"Alright, stand back," Steven warned as he thought of a spell. He just hoped that Danny, like the other ghosts, would be immune to it. Harry backed away.

"Glacius," Steven commanded and pointed his wand at Danny. The freezing charm chilled the air instantly and froze the water still on Danny and the chair solid. Harry and Steven's breath could be seen and they shivered in the now freezing cold room. Steven moved his wand away from Danny and waited. Harry ventured closer to the halfa.

"Danny?!" Harry called nervously.

Danny's eyes fluttered open, breaking the thin ice on his eyelashes. Danny blinked in confusion around the dark room before spotting Harry and Steven watching him nervously.

"Steven? What are you doing here?" Danny asked weakly.

"Helping you," Steven answered with a relieved smile. Danny frowned.

"Danny, I explained what you were to him," Harry interjected. Danny scowled in complete confusion at the brown haired wizard.

"Who are you?" Danny inquired, feeling that he should recognise the voice.

"It's me Danny. Harry. I'm in disguise because I wasn't allowed to see you," Harry explained. Danny nodded and tried to move his arms before realising that he was still bound to the chair.

"Hang on," Harry assured him and with a flick of his wand, the ice broke and the chains slithered away from Danny, freeing him. Danny smiled gratefully and bent over his knees, burying his face in his hands.

"Man, I feel really weak," he mumbled. Harry frowned in concern and crouched beside the halfa.

"Anything I can do?" Harry inquired. Danny shook his head.

"No, I just need to rest," Danny answered.

"That'll have to wait Danny. We need you to use your powers to get out of here," Steven interjected. Danny looked up at Steven and frowned.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"We're breaking you out of here," Steven replied calmly.

"Wait what?! No, I can't ask you guys to do that. Isn't that illegal or something? You could get arrested and thrown in prison. And I can only guess how much worse your prisons are compared to mine," Danny argued.

"When you say your prison, do you mean Walker's-?" Steven began but stopped when he noticed Harry's glare.

"Right, not the time," Steven decided and shuffled his feet in embarrassment.

"Danny, let us worry about that. We can't leave you here. You almost died because those wizards didn't understand what you are. We're getting you out of here. Now come on, overshadow me," Harry informed Danny sternly. Danny blinked at Harry before shaking his head slowly.

"Harry, I don't think I'm strong enough for that," Danny admitted.

"You have to try," Steven prompted. Danny glanced at him before shaking his head again.

"You don't understand. Overshadowing isn't easy, especially not with a strong willed person. First I need to get enough power together to phase inside Harry and then I need to take control and keep control. I don't think I'm strong enough. If it was someone else, like Dash, you know weak minded, then I'd feel more confident. But… Harry isn't weak minded," Danny explained.

Harry bit his lip.

"What if you told me what is going to happen and I'll try not to fight you?" Harry suggested. Danny frowned in thought.

"Maybe, I've never tried it when I'm so weak though. I can't be sure how long I can overshadow anyone," Danny warned. Harry nodded.

"We'll risk it. So, tell me what to expect," Harry decided. Danny scowled as he tried to figure out how to explain what being overshadowed felt like. He knew the feeling since he'd been overshadowed in the past. He'd been overshadowed by Voldemort, clones Vlad made, Sidney Poindexter and even himself that time he split his human and ghost halves. But he'd never explained the feeling before. It was pretty unique too so he couldn't even compare it to anything.

"Alright, first you'll probably feel tingly since I'll have to phase inside you. Might feel a chill too, not sure since my core isn't back to normal yet. Then… I guess you'll feel a little… lost yeah, because I'll take control of your body. Since I've never taken over someone who's willing to let me take over, you may or may not know what's going on. That's the point most people realise something's wrong and fight back. Considering how weak I am, if you fight me at all, you'll throw me off. Afterwards, you'll feel light headed, dizzy and might even pass out. It varies depending on how long the person is overshadowed and how strong minded they are. It's not an exact science," Danny explained slowly, choosing his words carefully.

"How do you know all that?" Steven inquired.

"Because I've been overshadowed before and I've overshadowed others in the past," Danny answered.

Harry nodded and took a steadying breath. He wasn't sure how he felt about being overshadowed but he knew it was their only chance of getting Danny out safely.

"So will feel weird, don't fight it," Harry summarised. Danny nodded.

"Best way I can describe it. It's pretty unique," Danny admitted. Harry nodded.

"I'm ready when you are Danny," Harry announced. Danny nodded and put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I'll try to keep it going as long as I can, if I can't hold it, I'll warn you Steven," Danny decided and turned himself intangible and slipped inside Harry.

Harry shuddered slightly before his eyes changed to green. He stood up slowly and took a deep breath.

"Ok, I'm in control. Can't do anything about my eyes I'm afraid or my voice. Too weak to suppress that," Danny informed Steven. Steven nodded and led the way to the door.

"This way. Harry didn't talk to anyone on the way down," Steven called softly. Harry/Danny nodded and followed Steven.

Steven led the way through the building quickly but calmly. Danny kept up but nearly lost control of Harry as he inadvertently struggled a few times. Luckily Danny was able to get back control and remain inside Harry. They reached the front desk without incident. Steven bit his lip and glanced at the receptionist.

"One minute. Stay here, I'll be right back," Steven whispered to Danny/Harry. Steven walked over to the witch.

"Hey, I was wondering. Would you be able to contact my wife and let her know I'm not going to be home for the foreseeable future? I'm going to investigate something out of the state. Might take a while," Steven requested with a dazzling smile. The witch smiled kindly and nodded.

"Of course Mr. Robinson. Good luck," the witch replied. Steven smiled and returned to Harry/Danny.

"Sorry, alright, let's keep going," Steven apologised and led Harry/Danny through the reception and down to the Floo network fireplaces.

Steven lit one of the fireplaces.

"Alright, the fireplace in that warehouse should still be connected. Then we'll go from there. Come on," Steven explained and grabbed a pouch of Floo powder.

"Wait, I'm not good with magical transport Steven. Especially that kind. The heat and magic affect me really badly," Danny quickly interjected. Steven frowned at the overshadowed disguised Harry as he shrugged Harry's backpack on to his other shoulder, Steven had brought Harry's bag with him to get Danny.

"I'm sorry Danny, but we can't apparate that far and no-maj transport isn't fast enough. I could make a portkey but it would be an illegal one and we're in enough trouble as it is. Do you think that if you keep overshadowing Harry you will be protected?" Steven replied. Harry/Danny bit his lip and sighed in resignation.

"Let's just get this over with," he grumbled and stepped into the fire. Steven followed and grabbed Harry/Danny's arm and held a handful of Floo powder out over the flames.

"Amity Park, abandoned warehouse," Steven announced and dropped the powder over the flames.

Steven kept a sharp eye out for the warehouse in question and pulled his companion out through the fireplace. He looked at Harry and smiled in triumph before gasping in horror when Danny fell out of Harry onto the ground. Harry swayed on the spot before shaking the dizziness away. Danny retched and coughed on the ground. Steven's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't realised that Danny would react this badly.

"Danny!?" Steven exclaimed and ran to the halfa's side. Harry blinked in surprise and frowned at his surroundings.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, before turning to Danny as he vomited.

"Danny?!" Harry called in concern. Danny shivered as his core flared up to cool him down after the exposure to the heat, still not fully recovered from the sweltering room in MACUSA. Steven helped Danny to his feet and led him over to the same seat Harry had shown him to the previous day. Danny shut his eyes and tried to push down the urge to throw up again.

"What happened?" Harry demanded from Steven, not knowing what had happened while he had been overshadowed.

"I used the Floo network to get us to Amity Park. I should have listened to Danny," Steven muttered, clearly panicking at the state of the halfa. Harry turned to Danny.

"Danny? Can we do anything?" Harry asked nervously. Danny shook his head as another wave of nausea hit him. Blindly he pushed Harry and Steven away and leant over the side of the chair as he vomited again.

Harry watched the halfa with concern. Danny hadn't reacted this badly to the Floo network before.

"Maybe it's worse this time because he was so weak… or maybe because he was overshadowing me," Harry murmured to himself. Steven glanced at Harry.

"It wasn't the spinning last time was it? It was the Floo network," Steven realised. Harry bit his lip and nodded.

"He gets like this with portkeys too apparently, I mean, nauseous and dizzy. Maybe it's part of the reason why magic doesn't work on him. Maybe it reacts badly with ghosts," Harry theorized worriedly and cringed as Danny retched again and brought up bile, nothing else left in his stomach.

After ten minutes, Danny's nausea finally abated and his dizziness also faded. Harry and Steven waited anxiously, watching Danny with concern. He was very pale and looked worn out. Danny sat back in his chair and rested for another minute.

"Danny?" Harry called. Danny grunted in answer. Harry ventured closer.

"Are you feeling better now? We should get you to your family," Harry asked. Danny tiredly opened his eyes and carefully nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. Never felt that bad before after your transport," Danny mumbled. Harry smiled with relief and helped the halfa up. Danny was completely exhausted and leant heavily on Harry for support.

"We're going to apparate to get there quicker. Not sure if that will affect you badly or not. Fair warning, it's not pleasant. And try not to struggle or you might get splinched," Harry explained. Danny nodded tiredly, too weak to bother asking what "splinched" meant.

Harry looked to Steven and together they held onto Danny and Harry apparated them to Fenton Works. They landed outside the house and Danny's legs gave way beneath him. Steven and Harry quickly caught him though and stopped him collapsing on the ground. They struggled up the steps and Harry knocked on the door. The door opened and Danielle came into view. She gasped when she spotted Danny and recognised Steven.

"What happened?! What did you do to him?" Danielle exclaimed in anger and fear.

"Dani, can we come inside? It's me, Harry. We'll explain but I'd rather Mrs Fenton check Danny first," Harry quickly interjected. Danielle blinked at Harry before stepping aside and let the wizards carry her unconscious cousin inside.

 **And Danny has escaped. But he's not in a good way…**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

While Steven and Harry laid Danny down on the couch, Danielle went into the kitchen where Sam was talking with Maddie over a cup of tea. Danny and Sam had spoken the previous night and Sam had told him that she was in Amity Park for the weekend. Danny had told her that he would be too and agreed to see her at some point. So Sam came over, unfortunately after Danny had gone into the Ghost Zone to borrow the Infi-map to go to the Rockies. She decided to wait at Fenton Works and had been there for nearly three hours at this point.

"Hey Dani," Sam greeted the younger girl with a smile. Danielle didn't return it.

"Steven and Harry are here with Danny. He's unconscious," Danielle announced worriedly. Sam and Maddie got to their feet and rushed into the living room while Danielle went down into the lab where Jack was tinkering with his latest invention.

"Sweetie?!" Maddie exclaimed and bent down beside her son. She felt his forehead and frowned worriedly.

"I knew letting him go to the Rockies was a bad idea," she muttered to herself. Sam frowned at the wizards, Harry had reversed the spells on his hair, scar and eyes.

"Why is it he always ends up hurt when he works with you?" Sam asked angrily. Harry flinched. Steven scowled at the Goth.

"Excuse me, you have no right to blame Harry for this. It wasn't his fault," Steven snapped. Sam glared at him.

"Sam, I'm sorry but there was nothing I could do. I tried to stop those wizards from arresting him but I was too late to do anything," Harry apologised. Sam's glare faltered.

"Arrested? Why was he arrested?" Sam inquired fearfully.

Maddie looked up from fussing over her son. Harry glanced at Steven before taking a steadying breath.

"It was a trap," Harry stated nervously.

"We know. That's why Danny went," Danielle replied as she and Jack joined them, carrying a first aid kit. Danielle handed the kit to Maddie. Maddie opened it and popped a thermometer in Danny's mouth and waited. Harry bit his lip.

"No, it was a trap for Danny. I don't know exactly what happened but Vlad was there and he caused Danny to change in view of a lot of aurors. He then dropped Danny… must have been twenty feet," Harry explained.

"What?! That ectoplasmic slime revealed Danny's secret!" Jack roared outraged. Harry shrank away from the large man.

"That's got to be against their agreement," Danielle growled. Steven and Harry frowned in confusion.

Maddie glared out of the window before turning to the thermometer in Danny's mouth. She took it out and looked at the temperature.

"Not good. Ninety seven. Danielle," Maddie called. Danielle walked over to Danny and sat down beside him. She placed a hand on his chest and it began to glow a soft blue as she used her ice powers.

"Wait, isn't ninety seven normal?" Steven pointed out. Maddie looked at Steven and bit her lip.

"How much does he know?" She asked Harry.

"He knows that Danny's a halfa. I told him about his ice core," Harry answered. Maddie nodded.

"Because of Danny's ice core, he has a lower average temperature than us. He's usually ninety five," Maddie explained.

Steven nodded before frowning at Danielle.

"Er… what's she doing? How's she doing that?" Steven questioned nervously, seeing her glowing hand. Danielle looked at him before rolling her eyes.

"What does it look like? I'm helping his core cool him down. I'm a halfa too," Danielle answered. Steven stared at her in shock.

"I thought Danny became a halfa by accident! How many are there?" Steven exclaimed.

"Three. Danny, Danielle and Vlad," Harry informed him. Everyone blinked at Harry in surprise. He shrugged.

"Danny told me before everything went crazy at the Rockies," Harry added. Steven frowned in confusion.

"Danny spoke to me while invisible Steven," Harry explained.

After a moment of silence Harry cleared his throat.

"You said that Vlad revealing Danny's secret was against their agreement… what is that exactly?" Harry recalled. Sam shook her head.

"It's not exactly an agreement, more like a stalemate. Vlad knows Danny's secret and Danny knows Vlad's secret. So they use that knowledge as blackmail. If Danny tells people about Vlad, Vlad will tell people about Danny and vice versa. Over time, Danny and Vlad have added bits to their stalemate and made almost a contract of trust with the consequence of breaking it being that they'll be revealed. It's complicated and only Danny and Vlad understand all the complex ins and outs of it all," Sam explained. Harry nodded in understanding.

"What happened in the Rockies?" Danielle asked as Maddie took Danny's temperature again. Steven turned to Harry expectantly.

"Well, we all got there. Steven brought a lot of aurors to face the ghost attack. We found Vlad's chalet," Harry began. Steven frowned.

"Vlad's chalet? How do you know that?" Steven inquired. Harry bit his lip.

"Danny told me. He must have seen us because he came over to me and told me he was there. There was no fly," Harry admitted and paused so that Steven could comment if he wished.

"Anyway, Danny explained that he'd already checked the chalet and then his ghost sense must have gone off. He told me to keep all the aurors around the chalet and he left to find Vlad," Harry resumed.

"So, we checked out the chalet and then we were attacked by ghosts," Steven continued. Harry nodded.

"We'd just dealt with Spectra and Bertrand I think when I heard Danny shout above us. I saw a ghost holding him which I guess was Vlad. Then he disappeared and then Danny screamed as I think pink electricity surrounded him. Anyway, Danny reverted to human and the ghost must have dropped him. By the time I found him, the aurors had already gotten to him. They arrested him. I tried to stop them but they stopped me and used a portkey," Harry explained.

"That ghost… white suit, black hair, blue skin?" Sam described. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, that's Vlad," Sam confirmed with a scowl.

"Anyway, I got back to MACUSA as quickly as I could and I tried to find him but he'd already been handed over to the department of dangerous magical creatures and I couldn't do anything," Harry resumed.

"MACUSA?" Sam repeated.

"Magical Congress of the United States of America," Harry answered. Maddie checked the thermometer and motioned for Danielle to keep cooling Danny down.

"It was Steven who came up with the plan. I disguised myself as an expert on magical creatures and Steven got us past the guards. Then we revived Danny enough for him to overshadow me and used the Floo network to get to Amity Park. But for some reason, using portkeys and the Floo network make Danny really nauseous and dizzy. And he got really sick this time," Harry concluded. Maddie frowned sadly at her son. She excused herself to get everyone refreshments and something to eat, mindful that Danny might be hungry when he woke up. Jack sat down in an armchair and scowled out the window. Sam sat at Danny's feet and Danielle kept her glowing blue hand on Danny's chest. Steven and Harry stood awkwardly to one side, unsure how welcome wizards were in the home at that time.

Maddie returned with a tray of sandwiches and a jug of iced tea and glasses. She set the tray down on the coffee table and checked Danny's temperature again. She smiled at the thermometer.

"He's back to normal now. Thank you Danielle," Maddie announced. Danielle didn't protest at her full name. It was the only way to avoid confusion when Danny was around. Maddie handed out glasses of iced tea and Danielle sat on the ground beside Jack.

Harry excused himself to get changed, preferring to wear jeans and a shirt instead of the over-the-top robes. Harry returned just as Danny stirred. Danny slowly sat up and blinked at his surroundings.

"Hey," Sam smirked at him. Danny smiled at her.

"Hey… so er… mind telling me what happened?" Danny remarked. Sam shrugged.

"Ask them," she suggested and nodded to Harry and Steven, watching nervously. Danny scanned the room and noticed his parents and Danielle smiling at him with relief. He then spotted Harry and Steven.

"Oh, hi. Um, guess I need to do some explaining huh Steven?" Danny realised and rubbed his neck nervously. Steven shrugged.

"Harry explained a few things. Like you're a halfa and have an ice core… and what powers you have," Steven informed him. Danny nodded.

"Right. Good, saves me explaining everything. Did anyone get hurt during that ghost attack?" Danny asked worriedly. Steven glanced at Harry.

"We don't know how many got hurt because it was too crazy. But we think Bertrand attacked a witch. She'll be fine though," Harry told him. Danny blinked.

"Hmm, if Bertrand was there, then Spectra would be there too," Danny muttered.

"She was. She did something to Harry," Steven interjected before Harry could stop him.

Danny turned to Harry. Danny smiled sympathetically at him.

"Harry, whatever Spectra said, it's not true. Feel free to talk to me about it if you need to, or maybe we can call Jazz. Spectra feeds off misery and she's really good at sensing people's worries and picking at them. I've felt her influence first hand. But nothing she said about you is true, alright," Danny assured him. Harry frowned before nodding.

"So that was what she was doing," he mumbled. Danny smiled in agreement.

"We heard that Vlad revealed your secret to some aurors," Sam informed him. Danny bit his lip and sighed.

"Yeah, he did," Danny agreed.

"So what are you going to do?" Danielle asked. Danny shook his head.

"Not sure yet. First things first, we need to stop whatever those ghosts are planning to do. Vlad may not be completely in charge, but he's still Vlad. He never does anything without a reason. For some reason, he wanted me out of the way. So either, he needs me to be arrested by those aurors for his plan to work, or he knows that I'd stop him before he could carry out whatever he's planning," Danny answered.

"What happened when you went after Vlad?" Harry inquired. Danny turned to him and shrugged.

"I found Vlad and we talked. He knew that I worked at Hogwarts and had wizard contacts. Told me that he was only distracting me and then grabbed me. Couldn't shake him. He took me back to the chalet and then sent a duplicate down to get some aurors to look up at me and Vlad turned invisible. He shocked me and I passed out. The rest is a blur until I realised that I was being arrested," Danny informed them.

"Wait, how did Vlad know about you being at Hogwarts?" Maddie asked. Danny shrugged.

"When I asked him, he just said that he had his ways of keeping an eye on me," Danny answered.

"That's creepy," Sam commented disgusted. Danny nodded.

"That's what I said," Danny retorted.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Everyone froze and watched the door. Steven glanced at Danny and crept to the door and peered through the peephole. He gasped.

"Aurors!" he hissed and ran as quietly as possible back to Danny and the rest.

"What are we going to do?" he whispered worriedly. There was another knock on the door.

"Open up. We need to speak with you!" a man shouted through the door.

"I'm not strong enough for a fight," Danny muttered, his gaze fixed on the door.

"Lab, go on, Steven, Harry take Danny down to the lab," Maddie decided and got up and took the untouched tray into the kitchen. Sam got to her feet and grabbed a couple of glasses and Danielle did the same. Danny stumbled to his feet and Steven grabbed the halfa's arm.

"No, I'm not leaving you guys to face those aurors," Danny muttered sharply.

"Don't worry son. We'll be fine. They don't know that you're here, your mother and I will cover for you," Jack soothed Danny and grabbed the first aid kit and another glass. Harry grabbed Danny's other arm and led the way through the kitchen and down to the lab.

"I'll go with them. Stop Danny from doing anything stupid," Sam announced softly and followed the two wizards and her boyfriend. Maddie ran back into the living room and grabbed the last glass and Jack answered the door.

 **Never a dull moment… Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Sorry guys, was upstairs. Is something wrong?" Jack lied. Maddie walked in drying her hands on a dishcloth.

"Oh, we have guests? I'll go get something for them," Maddie offered.

"No, that's not necessary. We just need to search the house," one of the wizards asked. Before Jack could stop them, the three wizards and witch pushed their way inside.

"Search the house? Why?" Maddie demanded.

"Mrs Fenton, your son is dangerous and we have to place him under arrest," the witch answered.

"Our son? Dangerous? You're crazy! Our Danny couldn't hurt a fly," Jack boomed defensively.

"Exactly, I love him to bits but he's a tad clumsy. I think you must have the wrong person," Maddie agreed.

"I'm sorry but we don't, now, stand aside," a wizard ordered. Maddie scowled at the wizard.

"If you don't have a warrant, then I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. No one accuses our son of being a dangerous criminal!" Maddie growled angrily.

The aurors frowned at the non-magical couple.

"Mr and Mrs Fenton, perhaps we should all come clean about what's going on here. We're aware that your son isn't human and you're aware that we're aurors. Now hand over that creature peacefully and we won't be forced to hurt you," a wizard reasoned.

"Creature!? My son is not a _creature_!" Maddie screeched outraged.

"That's right. And he's not dangerous!" Jack added furiously.

Danielle changed into her ghost half and turned invisible. If it came to it, she'd fight off these aurors. Maddie and Jack had taken her in and even managed to get her into school with a little hacker help from Tucker. She'd protect them.

"That doesn't sound good," Steven muttered nervously, standing at the bottom stairs into the lab. Danny paced anxiously in the middle of the lab. Harry and Sam watched the halfa worriedly, both aware how impulsive he could be.

"I should be up there dealing with those aurors. Not my parents! Magic doesn't affect ghosts but it does affect them!" Danny exclaimed. Sam, Harry and Steven shushed him. Danny scowled.

"I think you've forgotten that some spells _do_ work on you," Steven added. Danny glowered at him.

"I can handle a little electricity Steven. I mean those shocks were nothing on the portal," Danny retorted with a frown.

Suddenly there was a crash upstairs. Everyone in the lab flinched.

"I hope they're alright," Harry muttered worriedly. Danny turned to continue pacing before his gaze fell on the portal.

"The portal. That's it," Danny whispered to himself. He ran over to the control console and punched the open-close button.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Remember how I can charge weapons with my ghost energy," Danny called over his shoulder as he walked over to the portal.

"Yeah," Harry answered, not seeing what that had to do with anything.

"Well, I can charge myself too," Danny finished.

"No Danny! Don't do it. You know what happens if you over-do it," Sam protested. Danny looked at Sam and smiled at her.

"I won't over-do it," he assured her and touched his hand to the ecto-filtrator. He then absorbed the ghost energy flowing through the circuitry and was thrown back a couple of steps as white rings flashed over him, changing him into Danny Phantom.

"Wow, I feel great!" Danny exclaimed. He bounced up and down on his feet and grinned at Sam.

"Was that meant to happen?" Steven asked, staring at Danny in disbelief. Danny shook his head.

"No. So much energy that I was forced to change. Haven't had that since the accident right Sam!" Danny explained in a fast and loud voice as he bounced up and down on his feet.

Sam shook her head.

"Danny, listen to me. You have to calm down," she began.

"Calm down? I don't need to calm down. I feel great!" Danny assured her quickly and planted a kiss on her cheek and danced away before she could grab his arm. There was another crash upstairs.

"Mom and dad!" Danny gasped and jumped into the air and shot up to the ceiling, turning intangible at the last second.

"Oh no. I have to stop him before he hurts those aurors," Sam breathed and ran out of the lab. Steven looked to Harry.

"Is that normal?" Steven inquired. Harry shook his head.

"No. That's not normal," Harry answered and both wizards ran out of the lab after Sam.

Danny phased into the living room and landed on the ground in front of his parents. They were unharmed. The aurors had only shot a few spells around the room in an attempt to intimidate them. Danny began to bounce up and down on his feet again, acting like a hyper little kid.

"It's the creature!" the witch exclaimed. Danny frowned at her.

"That's not nice. Do I shout out "It's the witch!"? No… and I don't point dangerous objects like wands at your parents either," Danny retorted. Maddie and Jack frowned at him.

"Danny? Are you alright?" Maddie ventured.

"Oh I'm fine mom. Couldn't be better!" Danny answered, still bouncing on the spot.

Maddie and Jack shared a worried look and realised what had happened.

"Alright creature, we'll make a deal. You come quietly and we won't hurt your parents. We'll leave," one of the wizards attempted. Danny cocked his head at the wizard and shook his head.

"You know what, _wizard_ , I don't believe that. Oh wait. That's confusing, more than one wizard. Tell you what, you're wizard one, you can be wizard two and over there, you're wizard three," Danny replied jumping on the spot and pointing to each wizard in turn.

Sam ran into the room and shook her head.

"Oh no," she murmured. Harry and Steven joined her.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Danny's over charged himself with energy. He's not himself right now. He could really hurt those people," Sam explained.

"Yeah, and when he gets like this, his banter gets really bad," Danielle added, becoming visible beside Sam. Steven yelped in surprise. Danielle smirked at the wizard.

"Sam, you let him charge himself," Maddie accused.

"I didn't let him. I couldn't stop him. You know how he gets when he gets an idea in his head," Sam retorted.

"So, here's my plan. You leave and I won't force you to get out of my town. I was weak before. I'm not now," Danny warned with a creepy grin on his face.

"We have to stop him. He doesn't always know his own strength when he's this bad," Sam cried and turned to Danielle.

"Woah, wait. You want me to fight him? He'll beat me up like that. I'm no match for him right now," Danielle protested. Sam bit her lip and watched Danny worriedly.

"Are you threatening us creature?" wizard two asked dangerously. Danny bounced closer.

"No, I'm warning you," Danny growled loudly. The witch panicked and fired a lightning spell at Danny. Faster than anyone could blink, Danny dodged the spell and lunged on the witch. He punched her and then fired a bright ghost ray at wizard three. Then tossed the witch into wizard one and fired another ghost ray at wizard two. He then blasted the front door off its hinges and threw wizard two out onto the pavement. He fired another bright ghost ray at wizard three and pounced on the witch and wizard one and threw them across the street into a parked car. Wizard three scrambled to his feet and fled the house, stopping only to help wizard two up. They ran to the unconscious witch and wizard one and apparated.

Danny made to chase them but Sam grabbed his arm. Danny angrily turned to Sam. She flinched at the fury in his usually gentle eyes.

"Danny, stop! You got rid of them. Please, just stop," Sam begged. Danny's rage melted and he smiled at her, still bouncing on his feet.

"Alright Sam. Are you alright?" Danny asked in a happy, almost excited voice. Sam blinked at him.

"I'm fine. I'm more concerned about you. Danny, look at yourself! You can't stop moving for a second. You're over charged," Sam told him, worry clear in her voice and expression. Danny blinked at her and glanced down at his feet.

"No… I'm just… pumped. It's adrenaline. That's all. I'm fine," Danny replied, but he didn't stop bouncing.

Maddie handed Sam an ecto-gun. Sam took it and took off the panel.

"Please, I know it's not empty, but charge it. For me," Sam pleaded. Danny considered the gun and rolled his eyes.

"Alright for you," Danny relented and took the gun in his hand, placing his fingertips on the exposed power units inside. He charged his hand with ghost energy and his happy expression slowly faded and he stopped bouncing on his feet as the gun was charged.

Danny stopped charging the gun and turned to the door.

"Oh no. What have I done?" he gasped. Sam gently took the now fully charged ecto-gun and clipped the panel back into place.

"It's alright Danny. You weren't yourself," Sam reassured him and placed a hand on his arm. Danny shook his head.

"No. It's not alright Sam. They're right, I am dangerous. I lost control myself," Danny croaked, overwhelmed with panic and remorse. Sam frowned sadly at her boyfriend and snaked her arm around his waist.

"Come on, Danny. Change back. We'll fix this, we always do," Sam whispered.

Danny shook his head.

"I can't change. I'm still too charged with energy, but my head is clear. Or at least clear enough to think. This is bad. I just proved to those aurors that I'm a dangerous creature," Danny muttered. Sam looked up at her boyfriend worriedly. Steven bit his lip.

"Danny… they already thought you were a dangerous creature," he ventured. Danny glanced at him.

"I know, but now they have proof," Danny retorted. Steven shook his head.

"No, they've always had proof. Harry?" Steven contradicted. Harry nodded and fetched his bag and rummaged around until he found the file Steven showed him having brought all the files Steven had in his office.

He handed it to Danny.

"What's this?" Danny asked. Steven sighed.

"Open it. I'll explain after you've read it," Steven decided. Danny frowned at the wizard but obeyed.

"So that's happened before?" Harry inquired, giving Danny the space to read the file in relative peace. Sam nodded.

"It didn't get that bad last time but yeah. It was during exams last year. Danny was stressing because he didn't get to study and there was a spike in ghost attacks here. Danny comes back whenever things get too much for Danielle," Sam began and glanced at Danny. He was reading the file with a deep frown on his face.

"He was up all night between ghost fighting and studying and somehow he accidently opened a panel on his thermos and drained the energy from it. He described it like getting a full night's sleep. He was able to keep going and aced the exam. Next thing we knew, he was addicted to the stuff. He drained guns, thermoses, Spectre Deflectors, whatever he could get his hands on. I don't think he slept at all that month. He didn't need to. But he slowly over charged himself and he started getting more aggressive than normal and stronger. So strong he couldn't control his attacks. He hurt a bystander during a ghost fight by accident and after that he cut the energy boosts cold turkey. He hit him really badly. He became dependent on the energy boosts and he went through a phase of feeling really weak. It was hard for him," Sam continued.

"So, now if he uses it, he has to tell one of us. That way we can regulate if he's getting too dependent again," Maddie concluded.

"Why would Danny need to drain something for energy?" Harry asked.

"You'd be surprised. Sometimes he really does need the boost. If he's been ghost fighting a lot and then there's another attack, he'd normally get hurt because he's tired. But now, he can get a power boost and be able to keep going," Danielle answered.

"Also, during a heatwave, he can get really unpleasant. But if he takes in some extra energy, it helps him cope," Jack added.

"And, if he ever gets hurt, it's sometimes important for him to stay in ghost form. Absorbing energy can help him do that. We just have to be careful that he doesn't over-do it," Maddie informed them.

Danny shook his head at the file and sat down on the couch and buried his head in his hands.

"Sweetie?" Maddie called worriedly.

"This can't be happening. It's Walker all over again," Danny mumbled. Sam sat beside him.

"What's wrong?" Sam whispered, rubbing his back reassuringly.

"Sam, they think I'm behind all these ghost attacks. Vlad's pinning this all on Phantom," Danny explained and turned to his girlfriend.

"What?!" Sam gasped. Danny shook his head and covered his face again. Sam turned to Steven.

"What was in that file?" she demanded. Steven sighed and picked it up from where Danny dropped it on the coffee table.

"There was a theory that the ghosts weren't randomly attacking. It was believed that there was a leader. And a particular ghost was suspected to be that leader," Steven began and opened the file and showed everyone the blurry picture of Danny Phantom.

"This is the clearest picture we could get. We didn't know who it was until Danny changed in front of us in the Rockies," Steven added. Everyone glanced at Danny, who seemed to be having a panic attack.

"No, Danny isn't involved," Danielle decided.

"Then explain his presence at so many attacks. If you can prove it isn't him, then I might be able to help," Steven pointed out. Sam turned to Danny. She bit her lip before her eyes widened in remembrance.

"Amorpho," she breathed.

"What was that?" Harry prompted.

"Amorpho! He could impersonate Danny," Sam repeated herself loudly. Harry snapped his fingers.

"That's right! Amorpho can impersonate anyone. But I thought he and Danny were on good terms," Harry recalled. Sam nodded.

"They are. But Amorpho would never pass up an opportunity to mess with Danny and Vlad could have talked him into it," Sam replied.

Danny abruptly got up and walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?!" Danielle called after him.

"I left the portal open," Danny answered. Sam chased after her boyfriend. He heard her following him.

"I'm not going to make the same mistake again," he grumbled in annoyance and pressed the open-close button. The metal doors slid shut.

"Sorry Danny. I just wanted to keep an eye on you. Are you alright?" Sam apologised gently. Danny turned to his girlfriend and smiled sadly.

"Not really, no. I'm worried that I really hurt those aurors and I'm angry at myself for losing control like that. I… I should have known better! And-and because I underestimated Vlad, I got arrested. I still don't know what he's planning and who he's working with. I-I feel like a lost little kid," Danny admitted, ending in a defeated whisper.

Sam sighed sadly and pulled Danny into a reassuring hug.

"It's okay Danny. We'll figure it out. And you'll stop Vlad. You always stop the evil ghost right? You know what you did wrong, now you can do what's right," Sam muttered in his ear. Danny hugged her tightly. Sam smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks Sam, you always know what to say," he whispered in her ear. She sighed in amusement and gently pulling his face around to look at her. She kissed him gently on the lips and slowly the kiss deepened. Danny drew away and smiled at her lovingly. He kissed her cheek and turned to the portal again.

"I should probably get my energy under control," Danny commented. Sam shrugged.

"Frostbite will probably help you when you return the Infi-map," Sam informed him.

Danny's eyes widened in shock. He stepped away from Sam and felt his belt desperately. He bit his lip and ran his hands through his hair.

"No-no-no. This is bad!" Danny rambled fearfully. He sprinted out of the room.

"Danny? What's wrong? What's bad?" Sam shouted after him and chased him. Danny ran into the living room and straight to Steven. He grabbed the wizard's shoulders and forced him to look in Danny's terrified glowing green eyes.

"Steven! This is really important! Did those aurors confiscate anything from me when they arrested me?" Danny inquired frantically.

Steven blinked in surprise.

"I didn't hear about anything being confiscated from you. I would have tried to get it back otherwise," Steven answered nervously. Danny backed away and muttered rapidly under his breath.

"Danny!? What's wrong?" Sam exclaimed as she ran into the room.

"Sweetie?" Maddie called gently and placed a hand on his shoulder. Danny brushed her away and began to pace.

"Danny!" Danielle shouted. Danny turned to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked sternly.

"I've lost the Infi-map. I think Vlad took it," Danny replied quietly.

 **So in case you were wondering, I don't forget these kinds of things. Let me know what you think so far. The charging idea is pretty key to this story and something that began in the previous fanfic. I never meant to make it so instrumental, but there you go.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

The room was silent.

"Are you sure?" Jack ventured. Danny bit his lip.

"No, but it's gone. I had it when I went to the Rockies and I don't remember when I last had it. Vlad had a perfect opportunity to take it," Danny replied.

"I'm guessing that this is bad," Harry commented. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, it is," Danny confirmed and fell into the closest chair.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I've messed this up. I screwed up," Danny apologised.

"Wait, how dangerous can a map be?" Steven interjected, trying to lighten the mood. Danny shook his head.

"You don't understand Steven. The Infi-map can take you anywhere you want. It's a ghost object. Very powerful and in the wrong hands, dangerous. The Ghost Zone has doorways and portals to anywhere but also to any time. Using that map, I went to Salem in the 1600s as well as ancient Rome and China. I was there when the first plane flew. Vlad knows what the map is capable of. Steven I've handed him the map to anything and everything," Danny explained, staring unseeingly at the ground. Steven was lost for words, the severity of losing the map sinking in.

Sam sat next to her boyfriend.

"Danny we stopped him last time Vlad got the map and we'll stop him this time too," Sam reassured him. Danny shook his head.

"We don't even know where to start looking. We don't have a tracker on Vlad this time. We don't know what he wants. We don't even know where he's going to attack next. How can we get the map back," Danny muttered pessimistically. Sam bit her lip and tried to think of anything to say to help her boyfriend not lose hope. She snapped her fingers.

"Remember what happened the last time Vlad had the map. It took him to Frostbite. Maybe Frostbite will know how to-I dunno- call the map to him. If anyone knows how to find the map, it's Frostbite," Sam announced. Danny glanced at Sam.

"Hang on, you want me to go to the Far Frozen and tell Frostbite I lost the map and that Vlad has it," Danny inquired. Sam shrugged.

"Hey, it's a plan," she countered. Danny sighed.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Danny relented and got to his feet. He walked out of the room and down to the lab to the Speeder.

"I'd better go with him. Dani, you stay here. Vlad might attack Amity Park," Sam informed the room and followed Danny. Harry grabbed his bag.

"We should go as well. Danny might need us," Harry decided.

"Wait, take those sandwiches on the side. There isn't much food in the Ghost Zone and you might be in there a long time," Maddie called and Steven grabbed the sandwiches on his way, shouting his thanks over his shoulder.

Vlad stared at the Infi-map longingly. He really wanted it to take him to his destiny but he knew better than to ask. The last time he'd tried that, he needed up getting beaten up and frozen in a block of ice by a bunch of ghostly snow monsters. But still, the map was a valuable asset and one he hadn't expected to gain. He grinned to himself as he recalled how easy it had been to slip the map out of Danny's belt and into his own.

He walked down the hall of his large and impressive mansion and stepped into his lab. Floating beside a large table, laying out all their attacks, past and possible future ones, was his partner. Vlad's partner had been a wizard in life and he now had blonde hair, red eyes and green skin. He wore a large flowing black robe.

"Where have you been?" the ghost demanded. Vlad raised an eyebrow at the ghost.

"Organising an attack, getting rid of Daniel and examining this," Vlad answered smugly and lifted the map up for his partner to see.

"A scroll? What's the big deal?" the ghost scoffed. Vlad scowled at the ghost.

"This is not a _scroll_! It's the Infi-map. A powerful and invaluable ghost object. It has the ability to take you to anywhere you wish. All you have to do is ask," Vlad explained proudly.

The ghost floated closer, a greedy glint in his red eyes. Vlad smirked as his partner realised just how wonderful this object was.

"We must make use of this," the ghost muttered thoughtfully. Vlad nodded.

"Yes, and I had an idea. With Daniel out of the way, we can accelerate our plans. Magic doesn't work on ghosts but non-magical people can hurt and destroy ghosts. We need to find a ghost that would over power any ghost hunter. I believe this map could perhaps find that ghost," Vlad suggested. The ghost beside him frowned.

"You're sure that this Danny Phantom is no longer a threat. From what you told me, we shouldn't assume anything," the ghost asked nervously. Vlad smiled reassuringly.

"I'm certain. I have always been able to predict Daniel's moves. I knew he'd come to face me at some point once he realised I was involved. And we knew that he had wizard friends that could help him. That is why I set him up as the leader of our ghost army. The wizards now believe Daniel to be behind this entire situation. They won't listen to him because they'll think he's lying. Also, since your kind are unfamiliar to ghosts like us, they won't understand what he is. They'll brand him a creature of some kind and lock him away. His wizard friends won't be able to help him. And if he does somehow escape, those wizards will chase him down. Trust me, he's out of the picture," Vlad replied confidently.

"I don't understand why we don't just kill him. Then he'd never interfere again," the ghost suggested. Vlad scowled at him.

"No, I don't want to kill him. Perhaps after a time of imprisonment, I could sway him to our side," Vlad retorted. The ghost raised an eyebrow at Vlad.

"Why bother?" the ghost asked. Vlad sighed.

"You wouldn't understand. There are only three half ghosts in all existence. One of which was my own creation and was a mistake. She is not a true halfa. How would you feel about killing the only other person like yourself? I know the logical decision would be to kill Daniel. But I can't help but hope to sway him to our side. Together, Daniel and I would be a true force to be reckoned with. I know it's a fool's hope but I will ensure that Daniel doesn't get in our way, I assure you," Vlad explained. The ghost shrugged.

"You know him best but I won't be so sentimental if he comes after us," the ghost warned. Vlad nodded.

"So, this map. How does it work?" the ghost inquired. Vlad grinned, glad to change the subject.

"You simply ask it to take you to where you wish to go," Vlad answered knowingly. Vlad opened the map and the ghost stepped around to look at it.

"Wow, I've seen some impressive things in my time, but this is truly magnificent," the ghost complimented. Vlad nodded.

"It truly is. So, we need to phrase this carefully. The map can be temperamental. Once I asked it to take me to my destiny and it took me to a frozen wasteland to be beaten up by ice wielding beasts," Vlad informed his partner.

The ghost place a hand on the map.

"I wonder, what if we just asked it to take us to the most powerful and evil ghost in the Ghost Zone?" the ghost suggested. Vlad and the ghost's eyes widened in panic as the map glowed in response. A dotted line snaked itself through the Ghost Zone starting at Vlad's portal. Then it shot off through the open Ghost portal and through the swirling green mists of the Ghost Zone.

Within minutes, they stopped outside a massive, foreboding building.

"Er… where are we?" the ghost asked nervously. Vlad frowned and looked at the map.

"Clockwork's Clock Tower," Vlad read.

"So, Clockwork… is who we're looking for?" the ghost assumed uncertainly. Vlad shook his head.

"No, the map is taunting me again. I've met this ghost before. He may be powerful but he won't help us," Vlad answered.

"What can he do?" the ghost inquired curiously.

"He controls time. But he also refuses to interfere in events," Vlad told him. The ghost turned to the building and surveyed it.

"Well, I didn't ask the map to take us to a ghost that will help us. I merely asked for the most powerful and evil ghost in the Ghost Zone. But perhaps we should take a look around. This is a large lair, Plasmius. Too large for one ghost in my opinion. Perhaps we will find an ally after all," the ghost commented. Vlad glanced at his partner before nodding.

"It can't hurt to have a look," Vlad agreed and they pushed open the surprising light and silent large front door.

They walked quietly through the large clock tower and scanned each room they passed. Eventually they emerged in Clockwork's observation room and they saw a large disk with swirling blue energy. The ghost swept his gaze around the room and noticed a rack with a number of medallions hanging from purple ribbons. The ghost ventured closer and took one. He examined it closely.

Vlad walked closer to the disk and gaped in wonder at it.

"I never thought I'd see the legendary time window in person. It's amazing. To think I could use this device to look into any time period in all of time. Any moment of the past. Any moment of the future," Vlad muttered and grinned greedily. He touched the disk and gasped as it rippled and he saw himself. The image shifted and he saw himself in ghost form flying through the Ghost Zone, clearly fleeing from something. He frowned.

"That could mean anything. I've flown like that through the Ghost Zone before," Vlad murmured, recalling how he'd fled from the Ghost King.

"Plasmius! Come look at these," his partner called and motioned to the medallions. Vlad turned away from the time window and pushed the image out of his mind. He joined his partner and took a medallion for himself to look at.

"I don't believe it. I knew Clockwork existed, but I never believed that these did. Time displacement talismans," Vlad whispered in awe.

"What do they do?" the ghost inquired. Vlad smiled.

"They place the wearer outside of time. It means that Clockwork's powers don't affect the wearer and it also allows the wearer to visit other time periods and Clockwork can't pull the wearer back to their true time period," Vlad explained. The ghost blinked in surprise before slipping the medallion over his head and around his neck. Vlad scowled before understanding and copying. If Clockwork found them in his home without permission, it would be very likely that the master of time would seek revenge.

Vlad surveyed the room curiously, expecting to see more ghost objects of legend and myth. His eyes rested on a large vault door.

"I wonder what could be so important that Clockwork would require a vault," Vlad muttered. They walked over to it and tried to open the door.

"It won't budge. How do we open it?" the ghost grumbled angrily. Vlad frowned in thought before smirking.

"We don't need to open it to see what's inside. I'll be right back," Vlad replied and changed to his human form and simply stepped through the heavy door.

Vlad chuckled to himself, once again thankful for his unique abilities. He charged his hand with his pink ghost energy and looked around himself. It was a small room, no larger than a closet. And the only object inside was a battered Fenton thermos on a pedestal. Vlad picked it up and frowned in confusion at it. He then stepped back through the vault door and examined the thermos in the brighter observation room.

"What's that?" the ghost asked.

"It is a Fenton thermos. Daniel and his friends and family use them to capture ghosts. But I don't understand why Clockwork would have one. And I don't know why he would have a thermos this damaged," Vlad answered, turning the thermos in his hands as he examined it. He stopped as he came across the indent of a face. Vlad bit his lip and frowned worriedly at the dent.

"That was caused from the inside," Vlad muttered. His partner looked at the face.

"I've never seen any ghost capable of this," Vlad breathed fearfully.

"Perhaps, this can be our new ally Plasmius. They are clearly powerful and the fact that your Danny Phantom trapped him here means that they are enemies. Let him out," the ghost suggested. Vlad hesitated.

"I don't know Grindelwald. It's one thing to find a powerful ghost to wreak havoc for us. It's quite another to release a ghost that Daniel deemed too dangerous to free into the Ghost Zone," Vlad replied.

"A wise decision," a voice echoed around the room.

Vlad and Grindelwald spun around to face Clockwork in his adult form.

"Now, perhaps you should return that to where you found it Vlad Masters," Clockwork suggested to the halfa. Vlad frowned at it and shook his head.

"No, I want to know who is inside this thermos. Why do you have it?" Vlad demanded. Clockwork raised an eyebrow and shifted into his elder form.

"A creature that will never come to be lies inside that device. A creature that will destroy everything you hold dear if released," Clockwork answered, watching the thermos closely.

"That doesn't answer why you have it," Vlad prompted. Clockwork frowned at Vlad.

"I have it because I have been tasked to guard that creature. I have been made responsible for it," Clockwork replied.

"By who?" Grindelwald inquired. Clockwork scowled in annoyance.

"My employers. I am bound by vows to obey the Observants," Clockwork answered.

"You obey the Observants? That council of dolts?" Vlad scoffed. Clockwork rolled his eyes and shifted into his child form.

"Unfortunately yes. But I still do things my way. And I will protect that thermos. So return it Vlad Masters before I remove it from your possession," Clockwork ordered angrily.

Vlad glanced at the thermos before changing into his ghost form.

"No. I want answers and I'm going to get them," Vlad decided and took the lid off the thermos.

"No!" Clockwork exclaimed and attempted to freeze Vlad in time before recalling that both intruders were wearing a time medallion. Out of the thermos emerged a tall, muscular ghost. He wore a similar outfit to Danny Phantom except there was the addition of a cape and more white on the torso. His skin was blue and his white hair flickered like flames. He had fangs and blood red eyes that glinted with something akin to madness. The ghost stretched and cracked his back.

"Wow, it's nice to stretch after being inside a thermos for so long," the ghost commented with a smirk.

Vlad licked his lips nervously and glanced at Clockwork. The time ghost watched the released ghost closely, knowing that he couldn't freeze him either. The ghost turned around to face his audience.

"Ah, Vlad Plasmius and Clockwork. I don't believe I know you though," the ghost greeted with an evil grin, nodding to Grindelwald.

"Er... Gellert Grindelwald. May I ask who you are?" Grindelwald introduced himself carefully. The ghost laughed.

"What!? You don't see the resemblance? Call me Dan Phantom. Now, where is my pathetic excuse for a past self?" Dan demanded.

Vlad frowned in confusion.

"That is who?" Vlad ventured. Dan raised an eyebrow.

"Come on Cheese head. You're supposed to be smarter than me. You told me that enough when I was younger," Dan prompted. Vlad shook his head slowly, staring at the Danny Phantom logo on Dan's chest in complete confusion. Dan rolled his eyes.

"You want to tell them, or should I Clockwork?" Dan asked. Clockwork glared at Dan. Dan grinned.

"I used to be Danny Phantom. I grew out of it after my family ended up dead. Now, I'm half Danny Phantom and half Vlad Plasmius," Dan explained. Vlad's eyes widened in fear. Grindelwald scanned the ghost.

"Dan, I can call you Dan right? I think we can make a deal," Grindelwald suggested.

Dan examined the ghost.

"You think so. You know where my past self is?" Dan replied sceptically. Grindelwald shook his head.

"No. But I can hand him to you. In return, perhaps you'd be interested in helping me. My last partner has exhausted his usefulness," Grindelwald answered, giving Vlad a dismissive glare. Vlad scowled at his previous partner. Dan cocked his head to one side before grinning.

"How can you hand me my past self if you don't know where he is?" Dan inquired.

"Have you ever heard of the Infi-map?" Grindelwald asked deviously. Vlad backed away as Dan shook his head.

"So partners?" Grindelwald prompted and held out his hand for Dan to shake.

Vlad turned to Clockwork as the ghosts shook hands.

"Why aren't you stopping them?!" Vlad hissed.

"I cannot. Dan has a time medallion, just like you do," Clockwork answered.

"Where?" Vlad questioned, not seeing one around Dan's neck. Dan turned to Vlad.

"Oh, that's easy. I placed it inside myself. Intangible and out of reach from anyone trying to return me to my time or trying to stop me," Dan explained and gave Clockwork a triumphant grin. Vlad gasped and turned to Grindelwald.

"Plasmius, I'm going to need that map," the ghost announced. Vlad shook his head. He pointed the damaged thermos still in his hand at Dan only for Grindelwald to blast it out of Vlad's hand with a red ghost ray and Dan to step on it, crushing it.

Vlad glanced at the time window and suddenly recalled the image of him fleeing. It wasn't his past. It was his very near future. He turned around and ran through the Clock Tower, changing to human to phase through the walls and front door and back to ghost form to fly away from Dan and Grindelwald.

 **And Vlad's hidden partner revealed, just as Vlad gets replaced…**

 **In the first fanfic, Danny is placed in a situation where he has to tell Harry and Minerva about Dan because of Clockwork. I just wanted to remind or inform you readers of that. Because Clockwork isn't the type to do things without a reason…**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

Danny started the Spectre Speeder as Sam, Harry and Steven climbed in. Steven put the sandwiches safely out of the way and Sam checked the storage cupboards at the back.

"We've got enough jackets," she called to Danny.

"Good. Enough weapons in case something takes a swing at us?" Danny asked as he turned on some of the vehicle's defences. Sam frowned and checked.

"Fenton bazooka and a few blasters," Sam informed him.

"Should be enough. I can always hop out and deal with anything," Danny decided and the vehicle lifted into the air. Danny smiled as he tapped the wireless portal switch that connected to the control console. The portal slid open and Danny guided the Speeder smoothly through it.

"Oh, welcome to the Ghost Zone Steven. This is your first time right?" Danny commented. Steven nodded mutely as he stared at the eerie swirling green gaseous world. There were purple doors and masses of land, often with buildings, floating around them. Harry smirked at Steven's expression.

"Pretty amazing, right?" Harry muttered to the wizard.

"Yeah," Steven agreed. Sam chuckled.

"You're taking this way better than Danny's first time," Sam remarked. Danny glanced over his shoulder.

"How was he?" Harry asked with interest.

"Terrified. He freaked out," Sam answered.

"That wasn't my first time Sam. And I wasn't that bad," Danny retorted. Sam shook her head and smiled.

"Sure Danny, whatever you say," she replied with playful condescension.

"Hey you try coming in here after getting threatened by a ghost your first time when you didn't even mean to come in here," Danny grumbled. Sam laughed.

"Even so, this place creeped you out," Sam reminded him.

"Can we change the subject?" Danny snapped annoyed. Sam shrugged.

"Whatever you want. Do you want me to drive? You should probably eat something," Sam inquired. Danny shrugged but let Sam take the wheel and they seamlessly switched places.

Danny stepped back and surveyed the Ghost Zone ahead of them. Sam gently pushed him away with one arm.

"Eat Danny. I can drive without you over my shoulder," Sam ordered with a smile. Danny smirked at her.

"Alright, but any trouble, just shout," Danny relented. Sam glanced at him and shook her head with an amused smile. Danny walked over to Steven and Harry and picked up a sandwich.

"Any questions?" Danny asked and took a bite.

"What's that place?" Harry inquired, pointing to a large forested island.

"That's Skulker's lair. I don't recommend visiting. Place is covered in traps," Danny answered.

Steven gave the island a concerned look and glanced at Danny.

"Who's Skulker?" Steven asked cautiously.

"Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. Yeah, he doesn't like me," Danny replied.

"Or really likes you, depending on how you look at it. After all he does want your pelt at the foot of his bed," Sam called over her shoulder, quoting the hunter ghost. Danny nodded, conceding the point. Steven visibly paled.

"He wants your _pelt_!" Steven exclaimed. Danny took another bite of his sandwich and nodded.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it Steven. He's been trying for eight years at this point. And I'm getting better and stronger every day. He's out of his league," Danny bragged.

"That's got to be Walker's prison," Harry commented, pointing at the unnervingly still prison, after a few moments of silence. Danny frowned at it and nodded.

"Sam, cutting it a little close," he called.

"Oh, relax Danny. Walker's too busy dealing with his break out to worry about us," Sam retorted cockily. Danny popped the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and counted down from three on his fingers silently. As Danny counted off one, the Speeder jerked to one side as something hit the side.

"Er… Danny!" Sam yelped.

"Let me guess, Walker attacked us," Danny retorted. Sam glanced at him and gave him a sheepish nod.

"I did warn you. I'll take care of this," Danny decided and phased out of the Speeder.

Outside Danny spotted Walker charging his hands up with more purple energy. Danny fired his own ghost ray at the warden as a warning, slightly more powerful than intended as he was still over charged. Walker lost concentration and his energy faded. He looked up at Danny and scowled.

"What are you doing so close to my prison punk?! I thought you were busy catching my prisoners," Walker demanded. Danny folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I think there's a please missing there somewhere. I'm helping you out Walker, not following your orders. And I am working on it. So are you going to let us past or are you going to be difficult?" Danny replied. Walker glared at Danny. He floated closer to the halfa.

"Just this once, I'm letting you off on a warning since you aren't the one driving and humans aren't my problem. But if I see you in here again breaking rules, I won't hesitate to bring you in. You hear?!" Walker growled. Danny nodded and gave Walker a confident smirk.

"Of course Walker. Now, going to get out of the way?" Danny retorted. Walker snarled at Danny but reluctantly floated back out of the way. Danny, still within arm's reach of the vehicle, banged on the side. Sam slowly pulled away and Danny waited to see if Walker would try anything. Once the Speeder was out of danger, Danny sped off after it and phased inside.

"Walker?" Steven asked, craning his neck at the window to watch the ghostly warden.

"Yep. Hey you're getting the hang of this," Danny replied as he grabbed a second sandwich.

"Is he normally that hostile?" Harry inquired.

"Hostile? No, that Walker being creepy nice. Only called me punk once," Danny answered. Harry and Steven stared at the halfa.

"That was nice? He threatened to arrest you!" Steven pointed out. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, that's his way of saying hi or how are you. But he didn't try," Danny retorted. The wizards blinked in surprise but didn't question Danny.

The rest of the journey to the Far Frozen was uneventful. Danny spent the majority of the time pointing out landmarks to the wizards and eating the sandwiches, surprised by how hungry he was. Sam landed the Speeder on the snow and turned off the engine. Harry made to open the door.

"Harry, wait a sec. This place isn't called the Far _Frozen_ for nothing. We've got jackets you two can borrow," Danny informed him. Harry paused and smiled gratefully as Sam handed him and Steven Fenton coats. Steven slipped it on under his long beige jacket and Harry shrugged it on without question. Danny then opened the door and led the way.

Sam grabbed a blaster and slipped it into her own jacket pocket. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Just in case Frostbite is really angry. We've never really seen him get angry and don't know what to expect," Sam muttered in explanation. Harry frowned in concern but followed the Goth.

Danny walked nervously through the small huts and into a cave that led to Frostbite's main complex. He walked directly into a large room complete with ice throne where Frostbite, a large ghostly snow monster with ice and bone for an arm and icy horns, was talking to two of his subjects. The subjects were similar to Frostbite, differing only in the fact they had two intact arms. Danny paused and waited for Frostbite to finish before he cleared his throat loudly.

"Great one! What brings you to my home? Returning the map so soon?" Frostbite boomed excitedly. Danny bit his lip and rubbed his neck nervously.

"Not exactly Frostbite. I… I need to tell you something," Danny admitted and glanced at the three humans behind him. He sighed and stepped forward, putting some distance between them in case Frostbite became so enraged that he attacked Danny. He didn't think of Frostbite as a dangerous ghost but he'd never messed up so bad before to warrant the ghost's wrath.

"I lost the Infi-map," Danny confessed. Frostbite's large grin fell.

"And… and I think Vlad has it," Danny added and flinched in anticipation of Frostbite attacking him.

Instead, Frostbite became extremely quiet and his expression darkened. No one dared to break the tense silence. Frostbite took a steadying breath and glared angrily at Danny.

"How did that happen?" Frostbite demanded. Danny licked his lips and nodded.

"Okay, I used the map to get to the Rockies, like I told you I would. Vlad was there and it was a trap. Vlad caught me and at some point might have stolen the map. I might be wrong but I don't think I am. I got arrested and my friends broke me out. I only noticed that the map was gone a little while ago. I was hoping that… well that you'd be able to find it. Or call it," Danny explained, ending with a hopeful smile. Frostbite shook his head.

"We are not the map's masters. We merely guard it. It has no master apart from whoever holds it. Unless you can find Vlad, if he does have it, the map is lost," Frostbite replied stiffly. Danny bit his lip.

"I am so sorry Frostbite. I promise, I'll do whatever I can to get the map back. Tell me what to do and I'll do it," Danny promised.

Frostbite scowled but nodded.

"I know you will Great one. But I am still concerned. The map is treasured by our people and Vlad does not respect its power," Frostbite replied calmly. Danny blinked in surprise.

"So, wait. You're not angry at me?" Danny ventured cautiously. Frostbite frowned at the halfa.

"I am… disappointed and upset. But no, not angry. I understand that it wasn't entirely your fault. But we must hurry if we are to regain the map before Vlad does anything damaging with it," Frostbite answered with a small smile. Danny relaxed and nodded.

"Right. But we don't know what Vlad's planning," Danny admitted. Frostbite frowned in seriousness.

"The Infi-map works best within the Ghost Zone as it is a map of the Ghost Zone and its many portals. I would assume that Vlad would have to come into the Ghost Zone if he wishes to utilise it," Frostbite offered. Danny nodded slowly.

"If Vlad needs to access the Ghost Zone, chances are he'd use his own portal. Perhaps we should start there," Danny suggested. Frostbite smiled at the halfa.

Suddenly one of Frostbite's subjects ran into the room.

"Apologies sire but we have an intruder," the ghost informed them. Frostbite scowled.

"Who? Show me," he ordered. The ghost bowed and rushed out of the room, Frostbite following close behind. After a moment's hesitation, Danny followed, Sam, Harry and Steven chasing after them.

The group ran out into the snow and soon arrived near the Spectre Speeder.

"Do they think that the Speeder is an intruder?!" Harry shouted to Sam. Sam shook her head.

"They know that the Speeder is Danny's family's. They've repaired it for us in the past," Sam answered. They came to a stop and caught their breath. It was only then that they could hear shouting in the distance.

"You pathetic excuse for a map! I asked to be taken to Daniel! Not to this wasteland again!" the voice roared angrily. Danny blinked in surprise.

"I don't believe it," he breathed and jumped into the air.

He flew to the voice and saw Vlad Plasmius walking through the snow, shaking the map in his fist angrily as he cursed it.

"Take me to Daniel!" he ordered. The map did nothing.

"If you don't want me to destroy you map! You'll do as I say," Vlad threatened. Danny landed on the snow behind Vlad, uncertain how to approach this situation.

"I don't have time for you to be difficult. Take me to Daniel!" Vlad hissed. Danny raised an eyebrow before jumping forward as Vlad charged his hand with ghost energy.

"No Vlad!" Danny exclaimed. Vlad turned around and blinked in surprise before glancing at the map. He smirked and stopped his building energy.

"That's better," he commented.

Vlad then frowned at Danny.

"How did you get here?" He wondered aloud. Danny folded his arms and glared at Vlad.

"I think a better question is why you used the Infi-map, which you stole from me, to find me after what you pulled in the Rockies," Danny retorted. Vlad instantly shifted into a more apologetic stance.

"Ah, right. Yes, I suppose you're not happy about what happened," Vlad muttered. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Not happy? You made me into some evil mastermind and threw me at those aurors," Danny pointed out heatedly. Vlad bit his lip and nodded.

"Yes, I suppose I did. But we can worry about that later. Right now, I have to warn you," Vlad decided. Danny scowled distrustfully at Vlad.

"Warn me. About what?" Danny asked.

Vlad sighed in defeat.

"I made a mistake Daniel. A grave mistake I can't undo without your assistance I fear," Vlad began. Danny frowned worriedly at the older halfa. It was rare for Vlad to sound so sincere and even guilty.

"I inadvertently released-" Vlad started before being interrupted by a ghost ray. Vlad was blasted into the snow. Danny blinked in shock and twisted to see Vlad's attacker. His eyes widened in fear as he saw his alternate self flying towards them.

"Thanks cheese head. Looks like I don't need the map after all," Dan remarked.

 **So, Danny just can't catch a break. Let me know what you think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

Danny stared in disbelief at his alternate self as he landed on the snow. Dan frowned at Danny in mild confusion.

"You look almost as old as me. How long was I stuck in that wretched thermos?" Dan muttered to himself thoughtfully. Dan shrugged.

"Oh well. Revenge and time lines can be restored at any age, right Danny," Dan remarked with an evil grin. Danny scowled at him.

"I will never become you," Danny replied with conviction. Dan frowned and shook his head.

"Still a child," Dan scolded before firing a ghost ray at Danny.

As he was still over charged, he was able to conjure a ghost shield in time on reflex. Dan blinked in surprise before grinning.

"I like a challenge," Dan chuckled and lunged at Danny. Danny jumped to the side and fired a ghost ray of his own at Dan. Dan grunted as the blast hit him in the side. He rounded on Danny and waved his hand over Danny. The halfa was encased in pink energy, unable to move anything but his eyes. Danny's eyes glowed brightly in anger and unexpectedly turned icy blue. Dan yelped in surprise as Danny fired his ice powers through his eyes at Dan. He was frozen in a block of ice and the pink energy faded from around Danny.

Sam sprinted over to Danny before noticing Dan trapped in ice. She stopped and gasped at him. Danny snarled angrily at the ice and turned to Vlad as the older halfa slowly picked himself up out of the snow.

"You idiot! You let him out!" Danny roared. Vlad backed away a few steps nervously.

"Daniel, in my defence, there was no warning label," Vlad attempted. Danny's eyes and fists glowed with barely suppressed anger.

"Why would you even think to open a thermos left in the Ghost Zone!? That was at Clockwork's Tower, locked in a vault! What more do you need?!" Danny shouted. Vlad bit his lip.

"I did say I made a mistake," Vlad reminded him softly.

"Mistake!? Oh, I'll give you a mistake," Danny threatened and began to advance on the man.

However Danny stopped and turned to Dan in horror as the ice trapping the ghost cracked. Danny's eyes widened in fear as he realised how close Sam was to the block of ice.

"Sam!" Danny exclaimed and flew forward and grabbed her, bridal style, and flew away as the ice shattered. Vlad yelped in fear and took off after Danny, as they flew back towards the Spectre Speeder.

"Vlad! Buy me some time!" Danny ordered. Vlad opened his mouth to protest but Danny had already phased into the Speeder. Vlad turned to Dan and smiled weakly.

"I don't suppose you'd rather talk about this," Vlad offered before crying out in surprise as he dodged a ghost ray.

Danny put Sam down and flinched at the explosion outside.

"Where are the others?" Danny asked.

"They were behind me. We all chased after you when you flew off," Sam whispered fearfully. Danny nodded.

"I'm going back out there. I'll find them and send them here. You need to get out of here," Danny decided. Sam grabbed his arm before he could leave.

"Danny," she murmured. Danny smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry Sam. I'll be careful," Danny assured her and gave her a brief kiss on the lips before turning intangible and flying out of the vehicle. Sam bit her lip and ran to the controls to prepare to leave.

Danny turned invisible as soon as he left the Speeder. He glanced at Vlad and shrugged as the older halfa got punched in the gut. Vlad had everything under control in Danny's opinion. Danny shot off back to where he found Vlad and spotted Harry, Steven, Frostbite and his subject standing in the snow, looking lost. Danny landed beside Frostbite and turned visible.

"Frostbite, get your people to safety. Harry, Steven. Back to the Speeder. I'm sorry for leading such a dangerous ghost here Frostbite, but I'll lead him away," Danny quickly explained. Danny then jumped back into the air. The group looked at each other, still uncertain of the situation, before complying with Danny's orders.

Vlad landed in a snow drift. He looked very dazed. Dan advanced on the halfa.

"Stay down this time," Dan snarled. Vlad whimpered in fear. Danny charged in and tackled his alternate self.

"Vlad, Speeder!" Danny shouted. Vlad jumped to his feet and didn't hesitate to obey.

Dan grinned at Danny.

"Just us then," Dan remarked. Danny narrowed his eyes angrily. Dan duplicated himself and both Dans fired a ghost ray at Danny. Danny teleported behind the duplicates and fired ghost rays from both fists at both Dans. The duplicate failed and merged back with Dan. Dan turned to face Danny and scowled in annoyance.

"How many new tricks do you have?" Dan grumbled. Danny smirked.

"More than that," Danny answered.

Both Phantoms charged at each other and began to fight with punches and kicks. However gradually Dan gained the upper hand and grabbed Danny by the arm and threw him to the ground. Danny grunted in pain. Before he could get to his feet, Dan landed on his chest and began to strangle him. Danny's vision slowly blackened as he struggled.

"Ha ha ha, still weak I see," Dan gloated. Danny gurgled in response, desperate for air, having not had the time to prepare for the lack of air. Due to his halfa status, if he had notice he could store air inside himself and not have to breathe for a time. It was more than just holding his breath as he could talk and do things while storing air inside himself. As Danny's mind began to cloud, his instincts kicked in and he suddenly unleashed an explosion of green ghost energy. Dan was propelled away from him. Severely weakened by the action, Danny, using his new absorbing trick, reabsorbed his own energy from the air. Dan sat up and stared at his alternate self as Danny absorbed the energy back into himself.

Dan grinned greedily.

"I didn't know I could do that," Dan muttered to himself, eager to try the trick for himself. Danny shook the fuzziness from his head and turned to Dan with an angry glare. Dan got to his feet and created a ball of ghost energy.

"Round two," Dan quipped darkly. Danny gritted his teeth and created a ball of ghost energy and then poured his ice powers into the orb of energy. He tossed it at Dan. Dan smirked and side stepped the projectile before crying out in surprise as Danny charged forward and pinned Dan to the ground. He turned his arm intangible and punched it through Dan's chest and concentrated on his ice powers. Dan watched horrified as he slowly froze solid from the inside. Danny stood back up, winded from the fierce battle and flew to the Speeder.

He waved to Sam to go as he approached. Sam nodded and lifted the vehicle into the sky and shot off away from the Far Frozen. Danny caught up and phased inside. He took in the scene with one look before glaring angrily at Vlad. Harry and Steven watched the older halfa distrustfully, Harry more so since he had seen the halfa at the Rockies. Vlad turned to Danny.

"I know what you're going to say Daniel," Vlad interjected.

"Oh really, because I have some really creative insults," Danny growled. Harry and Steven quickly stepped out of the way.

"No fighting!" Sam shouted back at them. Danny glanced at her. Vlad frowned but didn't look at the Goth.

Danny sighed angrily. He pinched his nose.

"Vlad, just tell me why? Seriously, wasn't it obvious that you shouldn't touch that thermos?" Danny groaned. Vlad shook his head.

"I'm sorry Daniel. I didn't realise how dangerous that creature is. Clockwork tried to warn me but I wanted answers. I made a mistake. But this could have been avoided if you had _told_ me about that creature," Vlad replied, clearly trying to pin some blame on Danny. Danny looked up at the older halfa, clearly shocked.

"Since when do I have to tell you anything about my enemies?!" Danny snapped, looking like he'd been slapped. Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"That creature does not only concern you Daniel. It may be focused on getting you, but it involves us both. I'm aware what that creature is," Vlad answered sternly.

Danny shook his head.

"You have no idea what he is Vlad," Danny muttered. Vlad scowled.

"I know that that creature is half me and half you. I may not know how that occurred but I do know that," Vlad revealed. Danny shook his head.

"Vlad, that is not what he is. Yes, he is the result of both of our ghost halves merging but there is a whole lot more to it than that," Danny retorted.

Before Vlad could inquire further, the Speeder tilted to the side as something hit it. Suddenly Dan phased inside and wrapped one of his arms around Danny's neck. Danny's eyes widened in shock as he instinctively grabbed the arm around him to prevent it strangling him.

"Surprise," Dan whispered tauntingly in his ear. Red lights flashed over the controls as the engines were damaged, Sam desperately trying to stop the vehicle crashing. Harry and Steven gasped and grabbed their wands. Vlad tensed.

"Now, why don't you explain that intriguing trick you showed me back there?" Dan muttered menacingly in Danny's ear. Danny tugged at Dan's arm.

"Not likely," Danny gasped. Dan tutted mockingly.

"Then I'll just have to figure it out for myself. Let me know if I'm doing it right, won't you," Dan decided. Danny scowled and struggled in vain. Dan grinned. He turned his arm intangible and shoved it through Danny's back.

"I wonder, does your trick work on ghosts?" Dan remarked. Danny's eyes widened in fear and he cried out in agony as Dan turned his arm tangible and grabbed his ice core.

"Brr," Dan chuckled.

Danny's ghost aura flickered and his eyes shifted from green to blue and back again as his powers tried to defend him. Vlad, Harry and Steven took a step forward, wanting to intervene. Dan glared at them.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. One wrong move and I might kill him," Dan threatened. Harry and Steven gasped and took a fearful step back. Vlad stopped but didn't back away. Dan smirked at the older halfa before leaning into Danny's ear.

"Now Danny, tell me how does this feel?" Dan asked in mock concern as he squeezed Danny's core. Danny whimpered in pain and the Speeder interior dropped a few degrees as his powers intensified.

"No, that's not right. Come on Danny, tell me how it works. The longer you refuse, the more painful this will be. It's the least you could do since I showed you our ghostly wail," Dan commented.

Danny gritted his teeth as Dan squeezed his core tighter. Frost began to coat both Phantoms as Danny's core sought to protect itself. Vlad narrowed his eyes as he watched, ectoplasm starting to drip to the ground from the wound now in Danny's back, plugged only by Dan's arm. Dan scowled angrily and started to charge his hand inside Danny with his ghost energy. The three observers stared in horror as Danny's chest lit up softly from the inside, Sam was still struggling to keep the vehicle from crashing, unable to help or even look back. Danny cried out in pain.

"Tell me," Dan ordered.

"No," Danny choked out defiantly. Dan sighed angrily.

"Fine, perhaps you require different motivation," Dan muttered and called his own energy back into his hand before his eyes widened in surprise as Danny's energy also flowed into his hand. Danny began to grow pale.

"No," Danny gasped in fear. Dan grinned.

"Oh, I like this feeling," Dan chuckled. Danny struggled weakly as Dan absorbed Danny's ghost energy.

Harry and Steven could do nothing but watch in horror. Vlad growled in frustration and charged his fists with his energy. Dan noticed and scowled. He squeezed Danny's ice core, without stopping his absorption of Danny's energy. Danny gasped in agony. Danny's white rings appeared around his waist and changed his clothes into his human half's outfit. Dan's grin grew greedier and greedier as he felt the raw power surge through him from the boost in energy. Danny struggled weakly as his vision darkened. Vlad took a small step forward. Dan was too busy with his new feelings and strength to notice this time. Vlad edged closer until he was nearly in arms reach of Danny.

Danny's white rings appeared again and his hair changed to black but his eyes continued to shift between his neon green and ghostly blue. However Danny didn't seem to see anything anymore, he stared blankly ahead, his eyelids growing heavy. He'd gone limp as well, the only evidence he was even alive apart from his eyes were the soft cries of pain as Dan, in his excitement, squeezed Danny's ice core.

Vlad licked his lips nervously and in one fluid movement, he grabbed Danny's shoulders and turned him intangible and phased him out of Dan's grasp. Without Dan's arm in Danny's wound, blood gushed out and stained the ground, his clothes and Vlad's clothes red. Dan glared at Vlad furiously. Sam chanced a glance back and instantly wished she hadn't. The sounds were bad enough without seeing Danny's blood and ectoplasm on the floor and her boyfriend's unseeing expression.

Harry looked at his wand before recalling that there were ghost weapons at the back of the Speeder. He shoved his wand into his pocket and threw open the cupboard and grabbed the most impressive weapon there, the Fenton Bazooka. Harry hefted it on to his shoulder and pointed it at Dan. He took a steadying breath and pulled the trigger. The bazooka fired and knocked Dan back a few steps. Harry scowled with determination and fired again and again until Dan was against the wall of the vehicle.

Vlad carefully laid Danny down on the ground as Danny's white rings returned and Danny's eyes were changed to his natural blue as he passed out. Vlad lunged forwards and pushed Dan intangibly through the wall. Steven turned to the control console where Sam was frantically still trying to regain some control. He flicked his wand and the vehicle repaired itself. The lights stopped and Sam sighed in relief and stamped her foot on the accelerator and zoomed off through the Ghost Zone, heading straight for the Fenton portal.

 **Like I said, the charging concept is important in this story. Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

Sam drove as fast as possible through the Ghost Zone, narrowly dodging the occasional obstacle such as wandering ghosts or small islands. Steven, Harry and Vlad bent over Danny.

"We have to stop the bleeding," Harry announced. Steven pulled out his wand and waved it in gentle motions, muttering a number of healing spells. However Danny's wound didn't change.

"It's not working," Steven informed them worriedly. Harry nodded.

"I didn't think it would. Danny got hurt before and Poppy, er nurse at Hogwarts, tried to heal him. The spells didn't work then either, we never figured out exactly why not," Harry replied.

Vlad examined Danny's condition with visible concern, he touched the younger halfa and cringed at how Danny didn't feel the same as usual. Most of the time, even in human form, Vlad could feel a tingle of energy faintly due to their half ghost status. They'd laid Danny on his front, both so they could access his wound and in the hope that gravity would prevent the halfa from bleeding out.

"What exactly did that creature do?" Vlad whispered fearfully. Harry and Steven looked to Vlad.

"Danny learned that he could push his ghost energy into ghost weapons and stuff to charge them a few years ago. He found out last year that he could… reverse that process and absorb energy to charge himself," Harry told the older halfa. Vlad blinked in surprise before smirking fondly at Danny.

"Always surprising me little badger," Vlad chuckled. Steven and Harry frowned in confusion.

"I thought you were enemies," Steven pointed out. Vlad nodded.

"We are. But we are still the only ones of our kind. I do not wish to kill Daniel," Vlad replied. Harry scowled at Vlad.

"You know he nearly died in wizard custody. If I hadn't known so much about how Danny works he would have," Harry retorted. Vlad looked up at the wizard.

"They weren't meant to hurt him. They were only meant to detain him, keep him out of the way so that our plans could be completed," Vlad growled angrily.

Harry and Steven frowned in confusion at the older halfa but shrugged the questions away as they turned to Danny. Vlad sighed sadly before glancing at Sam. She'd been extremely quiet while driving recklessly through the Ghost Zone. Vlad bit his lip and considered Danny.

"Samantha, I need to understand on a deeper level how Daniel absorbs ghost energy and its effects on him," Vlad called. Sam tensed.

"Bit busy," she snarled angrily. Vlad nodded.

"I see that. But I think if Daniel regains some energy, it will help us. I'm offering to give him some of my own energy since he is unconscious," Vlad explained. Sam glanced back at him before turning back and swerving around a floating rock sharply.

"I don't know how he does it. He just does. I wasn't there when he figured out how to absorb energy. But I was there when Danny learned he could charge ghost power units in Fenton technology. The power units just sucked the free energy around his ghost ray into itself," Sam answered stiffly. Vlad turned to Danny. He shook his head.

"How can I make my energy free enough for him to absorb without hurting him?" Vlad pondered out loud. Vlad sighed.

"I can't," Vlad realised grimly. Before Harry and Steven could stop him, Vlad phased his hand into Danny's injury. He carefully aligned his arm in a similar shape as Dan's had sat to prevent furthering injuring Danny. He took a steadying breath and turned his arm tangible. Danny winced in his unconscious state. Vlad watched Danny sadly before charging his hand with ghost energy gently and waited for Danny's ice core to suck it in.

"It's not working," Vlad muttered worriedly. Harry and Steven frowned in concern. Vlad bit his lip and pumped more ghost energy into his hand. Danny's wound and chest glowed softly pink with the energy inside.

"I don't understand, it should be free enough. But then again, Daniel didn't absorb Dan's like this," Vlad thought out loud before he realised he needed to free a lot more energy. Dan had absorbed Danny's energy because there had been so much available.

"I'm sorry Daniel," Vlad whispered and charged his hand with a lot more ghost energy, so much that the glow intensified to almost blinding levels. But as Vlad, Harry and Steven were forced to look away and Danny groaned in agony while unconscious, Vlad smiled with relief as he felt Danny's ice core start to take the free energy available to it.

Vlad continued until he started to feel tired. Aware that the Speeder wasn't stocked with unlimited ghost weapons and that the humans may require protection, Vlad cut off his energy. With Danny injured, it fell to Vlad to protect the others if a ghost attacked. Vlad turned his arm intangible and carefully removed it from Danny's body. The glow now gone, Harry, Steven and Vlad were able to examine Danny's condition. He didn't look any different but Vlad could sense that Danny was stronger having regained some energy.

A belief proven to be true as Danny stirred. Vlad, knowing that Danny would try to get up, quickly pinned Danny to the ground, wary of his back. Danny's eyes opened and he became aware that someone was on him. He tried to push them off.

"Daniel, stop struggling. You are injured. You mustn't move unnecessarily," Vlad warned him softly. Danny's eyes widened in panic.

"Get off me Vlad!" Danny growled.

"Listen to him Danny," Harry called quickly, understanding that Vlad _was_ trying to help Danny by preventing the younger halfa from moving. Danny stopped and frowned in confusion, Harry and Steven were positioned so that Danny couldn't see them.

Danny stopped struggling but he didn't relax.

"What happened?" he demanded harshly, still distrustful of Vlad.

"What do you remember?" Steven asked.

"I remember that jerk figuring out how to drain me like a battery," Danny retorted, harsher than intended towards Steven, but uncomfortable with Vlad's proximity.

"Vlad got you away from him, then I shot him with the Fenton Bazooka and Vlad pushed him out of the Speeder. Steven fixed the Speeder," Harry quickly informed Danny. Danny froze.

"Vlad? Vlad got me away from him," Danny repeated incredulously. Danny felt Vlad nod.

"Daniel, assure me that you won't try to move or get up and I will release you. That creature injured you gravely and there is a large wound in your back. You mustn't move," Vlad explained. Danny frowned but sighed.

"Fine, I'll stay put. Now get off me!" Danny agreed begrudgingly.

Vlad slowly let go of Danny's wrists and gently moved back from Danny. Danny experimentally rolled his shoulders and winced as the movement aggravated his back.

"I said not to move!" Vlad scolded.

"Yeah and I'll listen to you when you get a shrink!" Danny snapped back but didn't move again. Vlad snarled angrily at Danny but didn't say anything else. Harry and Steven shared a glance, unsure what to make of the exchange between the halfas.

"So are you going to explain what that creature is then?" Vlad asked. Danny scowled at Vlad, the only one he could see.

"In an alternate time line, my family, Sam, Tucker and Mr Lancer were killed in an explosion at the Nasty Burger. I was the sole survivor. I went to live with you. I was completely overcome with grief. I asked you to take the hurt away and you agreed. Using a variation of ghost gauntlets that my dad made, you ripped my ghost half out of me. Then, my ghost half ripped your ghost half out of you. Both our ghost halves merged and in the chaos afterwards Dan killed my human half. I don't know how you escaped. Ten years later, he returned to Amity Park and destroyed it. Clockwork was ordered to… eliminate me by the Observants. He warned me of the dangers and I was able to prevent it. Dan is now stuck outside time somehow and I trapped him in a thermos. The thermos _you_ opened!" Danny explained.

"I still don't see how that creature is anything but half of me and half of you," Vlad retorted. Danny scowled in annoyance.

"You really don't listen do you? Dan only refers to _me_ as his past self. My ghost half is in control. That _creature_ as you call it, is more me than you. He's an evil version of me. Driven crazy by your ghost half's evilness or whatever," Danny snarled. Vlad blinked in surprise. He frowned in thought.

"That creature can't be you Daniel. He's too… violent and unforgiving," Vlad whispered. Danny's eyes widened in realisation.

"Say that again!" Danny commanded. Vlad frowned.

"I said he's too violent and unforgiving to be you," Vlad repeated. Danny nodded.

"He is violent. Maybe it's more than your craziness messing him up," Danny muttered thoughtfully.

Vlad scowled questioningly at the younger halfa.

"What are you saying?" Vlad asked. Danny shook his head as much as he could do in his position.

"This is really bad. He knows how to drain energy from things now," Danny whispered.

"What did you figure out?" Harry interjected, reminding Danny that the wizards were present.

"Dan's over charged. Two powerful ghost halves merging over charged him. That's why he's so aggressive. And when that happens, ghost energy becomes extremely addictive. I don't know what happens if you over charge a ghost that's already over charged, but I'd guess that it's bad," Danny answered.

"Over charged? That's possible?" Vlad remarked. Danny nodded.

"I was over charged before that fight with Dan. Not badly, but enough to make it impossible to change back to human. Luckily during the fight, my energy decreased or we might have a lot more to worry about. The first time you drain something can be a little disorientating. It wears off in minutes but it might be enough to give us time," Danny explained.

"Fenton portal's up ahead!" Sam called over her shoulder, relieved to hear Danny talking so normally but concerned with the new revelation. Danny tried to turn his head to look towards his girlfriend but was unable to in his position. Sam tapped the Fenton portal switch in the Speeder and the portal opened as they drove through, now at a slower more manageable speed. The Spectre Speeder slowed to a stop and touched gently down onto the ground.

Sam left the control console and knelt beside her boyfriend.

"I'll be right back Danny. Just going to get your parents alright. Don't move," Sam whispered and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her and nodded. Vlad decided to stay behind, much to Danny's annoyance, while Sam, Harry and Steven went upstairs to alert Maddie and Jack to the situation. However when they walked into the living room, they were greeted by an unwanted sight.

Maddie and Jack sat on the couch and Danielle, in ghost form was huddled in a corner. Two wizards stood over Danielle, wands pointing at her threateningly and a large number of witches and wizards stood over Maddie and Jack. Danielle looked up and was hit by a lightning spell by one of her guards. She yelped in pain and froze in place, not wanting to provoke another attack. Everyone else turned to the new arrivals. Steven gulped nervously as he recognised a majority of the witches and wizards occupying the Fentons' living room. Most were aurors but some were part of Cecilia's department for dangerous magical creatures.

The head of the auror department stepped forward. He glared at Steven angrily.

"Mr Robinson, to put it bluntly. You're fired!" the head auror declared. Steven flinched. Harry stepped forward.

"Wait, we can explain. We just-" Harry began.

"Mr Potter, you may be respected in the wizarding world, but you are still breaking our laws by freeing and harbouring that creature. I may not be able to fire you, but I can have you deported back to Britain and advise your head of department," the auror interrupted. Harry blinked in shock.

The head auror looked over his shoulder.

"You lot, search the house. Start in the kitchen. I know that creature is hiding here somewhere and we're going to find it. And you two, confiscate their wands," the wizard ordered, motioning to the majority of the witches and wizards present. The witches and wizards filed into the kitchen, wands ready and proceeding warily. Sam, Harry and Steven were pushed into seats nearby Maddie and Jack, Harry and Steven's wands now confiscated.

 **And Vlad's plans to make Danny into the bad guy are officially coming back to haunt both halfas. Anyway…**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

Vlad considered Danny quietly. Danny frowned in annoyance.

"Stop staring at me like that!" Danny snapped, beginning to feel restless since he couldn't move with his back the way it was. Vlad smirked.

"What? Nervous about me being here little badger?" Vlad remarked. Danny scowled.

"No, I just don't like being watched by fruit loops," Danny retorted heatedly. Vlad rolled his eyes. He bent down beside Danny and examined the younger halfa's back but all that was visible was a massive red stain and blood pooling in the deep wound.

"Are you in pain?" Vlad asked softly. Danny blinked in stunned silence at the gentle tone of voice Vlad used.

"Only when I move or breathe too deeply," Danny admitted. Vlad nodded.

"I'm concerned about infection. I really should clean out the wound and bandage it. Is there a first aid kit nearby?" Vlad informed him. Danny frowned in thought.

"There should be one in the back storage cupboards. How bad is it?" Danny replied. Vlad bit his lip.

"It's deep. I'm not sure exactly how, but I think Dan missed your heart and didn't damage your lungs or spine. It's the bleeding I'm concerned about more than anything else," Vlad explained and got up to search for a first aid kit. It didn't take long.

Vlad returned to Danny's side.

"I need to remove your shirt to access your wound, Daniel. Is that alright?" Vlad asked. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"You're asking permission?" Danny retorted. Vlad rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance.

"Just answer the question," Vlad grumbled. Danny shrugged and gasped in pain.

"Right, no moving," Danny wheezed in agony. Vlad watched Danny with concern, fully aware that Danny wasn't comfortable with Vlad's presence in his condition.

"Whatever Vlad, do what you need to, but any funny business…" Danny replied.

"Understood. I just want to help," Vlad cut him off.

Vlad carefully lifted the bottom of Danny's shirt and turned it intangible. He pulled the shirt away and set it down beside him. The shirt was ruined but if he ran out of bandages, it might come in handy. Vlad bit his lip and examined Danny's wound.

"I'll say this, it's a very clean cut. No jagged edges," Vlad remarked.

"Yeah but that'll be because Dan just shoved his arm in there and turned it tangible. It wasn't a knife or something," Danny speculated. Vlad nodded to himself. Danny was right. It was to be expected. The wound wasn't caused by something being plunged into or out of Danny. Dan's arm had been placed and removed using intangibility. The flesh, muscle and organs would have been pushed aside to make room for Dan's arm, and admittedly, later on Vlad's. The wound was the result of the skin and muscle having nowhere to go and was pushed apart, rupturing it.

Vlad opened the kit and pulled out a cloth. He gently touched it to Danny's back and cringed as he felt the muscles tense as Danny bit back a cry of agony.

"We might have to take you to hospital," Vlad whispered worriedly as he tried to soak up the stagnant blood pooled in the wound as gently as possible.

"Can't. Secret," Danny protested through gritted teeth as he tried to keep as still as possible. Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"Daniel, if this gets infected or causes internal bleeding, you could die," Vlad pointed out. Danny shook his head slightly.

"Seen what would happen if secret got out. Not good," Danny choked out. Vlad frowned.

"How?" Vlad inquired, half expecting to hear about Clockwork.

"Reality Gauntlet," Danny gasped out. Vlad froze in shock.

"You know where the Reality Gauntlet is!? You've seen it!?" Vlad exclaimed. Danny nodded, his hands fisted tightly.

"Where Daniel?" Vlad prompted, to his shame hoping that the pain Danny was experiencing would cause the halfa to slip up.

"Destroyed it," Danny answered quietly, growing faint with the excruciating pain. Vlad frowned disappointedly before noticing Danny's faint tone of voice.

"Daniel?" Vlad called with concern. Danny grunted in answer but Vlad could tell that Danny was going to pass out.

Vlad stopped cleaning Danny's wound, cringing as he realised that in his excitement he hadn't been as gentle as he should have been. Vlad bit his lip and searched through the first aid kit for some pain killers but found none.

"Daniel?! Where are the pain killers?" Vlad asked, loudly and slowly. Danny shook his head tiredly.

"Should be in there. Maybe kitchen," Danny slurred before falling unconscious. Vlad scowled in concern.

"Well, if he's unconscious, at least I can tend his wound. Maddie and Jack should be here any second," Vlad muttered to himself as he resumed to clean Danny's wound.

Within a minute, he'd cleaned the majority of the blood out of Danny's wound and had bandaged it with thick rolls of gauze. He frowned at the Spectre Speeder door.

"What is keeping them? Surely the girl would have explained this is urgent," Vlad grumbled and got to his feet. He got out of the Speeder and made his way to the lab stairs, deciding to change back to human to avoid frightening Maddie and Jack. He knew that they knew his secret but he also knew that his ghost form could be taken to be a threat. Also he had an alarming amount of blood on his hands, arms and front.

Vlad began to climb the stairs but he stopped dead in his tracks as he heard unfamiliar voices.

"Why do we have to check the basement?" a wizard complained.

"Because we lost the coin toss. Don't be such a baby. We go down there, check that creature isn't there and go. I mean that creature isn't stupid enough to come back here after what it did to those aurors. Probably ran for it," a witch retorted as the door opened. Vlad only had the time to change back into his ghost form and turn invisible before the small group of witches and wizards filed through the door.

Vlad floated up into the air, frantically trying to think of a plan, to avoid the people walking down the stairs. He bit his lip and glanced at the Speeder. He hoped with his entire being that Danny stayed unconscious and that no one opened the door. However it seemed that Vlad's string of bad luck wasn't finished as three people walked over to the Speeder. Two witches and a wizard. They peered into the windows.

"Merlin's beard," a witch gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" the wizard beside her asked. She shook her head and pointed inside. Vlad tensed as he realised what they'd seen. They'd seen either Danny or his blood or most likely both.

"Hey Brianna, we found the creature," the wizard managed. A witch turned to the wizard, the same witch who had spoken on the way down.

"You did?" Brianna gasped in surprise. The witch and wizard nodded, still staring into the Speeder. Brianna frowned and joined them before gaping at the gory sight.

"Get this thing open," she ordered and stepped back. A wizard rushed over and examined the door.

"Ah," he cried out triumphantly and opened the door.

Vlad shook his head and floated closer, biting his lip with indecision. Should he go and check on the others? Should he leave? Should he fight these witches and wizards and protect Danny? Vlad scowled as he recalled that Harry had told him that these people had nearly killed Danny already through pure ignorance. Vlad shook his head. He couldn't let Danny get arrested again. Especially after what had happened. Dan needed to be dealt with and Vlad had a strong suspicion that Danny was the key to defeating the ghost. Also they still had to deal with Grindelwald. Vlad wasn't so sure of the ghost's intentions anymore.

Vlad touched the Infi-map, thankfully, still tucked in his belt. He frowned at the people crowding at the door to the Speeder, debating if Danny was faking being unconscious or not. Vlad nodded to himself. He couldn't let anyone get the map. It was dangerous. It had directed himself and Grindelwald to Dan's thermos. He quickly scanned the room and noticed a shelving unit. He floated over to it and hid the map at the back of a crowded, dark shelf. It would do for now.

Vlad turned back to the people as a brave wizard took a wary step inside the Speeder. Vlad turned himself visible and lunged at the group. Ghosts couldn't be hurt by magic, Vlad couldn't help but gloat silently to himself. The witch he landed on screamed in alarm and half of the witches and wizards turned to him.

"Another one!" a witch exclaimed. Vlad frowned realising that they could only mean either Danny or Danielle. Could that be the reason why Maddie and Jack didn't come? Vlad shrugged the thought away. Danny was what mattered at that moment. Vlad smirked as the group pointed their wands at him. However the smirk soon vanished as the group, as one, unleashed lightning spells on him.

He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. Electricity flowed through his every fibre and it took everything he had to hold his ghost form and stay conscious. Once the sparks had abated, two strong wizards grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet.

"You try anything, and we'll use those spells, understand?" Brianna threatened. Vlad blinked at her in surprise.

"But… but magic doesn't work on ghosts," Vlad muttered in disbelief. Brianna smirked.

"Yes, it did seem that way. But those lightning spells certainly seem to hurt you creatures. You can thank your friend in there for that," Brianna replied, pointing a thumb over her shoulder towards Danny. Vlad glared angrily at her.

"You experimented on him!" Vlad shouted, realising what she implied. Brianna raised an eyebrow.

"If you call casting a number of spells on it to see what caused a reaction experimentation, then yes. We did," Brianna confirmed, and snapped her fingers. Four wizards and two witches ventured inside the Spectre Speeder.

Vlad struggled against the wizards, earning himself three lightning spells.

"Don't move him! He's severely injured," Vlad ordered. Brianna raised an eyebrow at him.

"We'll be the ones to decide whether or not to move that creature. Not you," Brianna retorted stiffly. A wizard crept closer to Danny and noticed a plate with a handful of sandwiches. He picked one up and tossed it lightly at the younger halfa. Danny didn't react. The wizard glanced at his companions. A witch put a hand on his arm and winked at him.

"I'll cast a lightning spell at it," she offered and the six people watched for a reaction. There wasn't one. The witch glanced at Brianna.

"I think it's out," the witch called. Brianna nodded.

"Examine it," Brianna commanded calmly.

The other witch walked slowly towards Danny. She frowned at the ground.

"There's two substances on the ground. One looks like blood. Definitely the most prominent. But the other is green. Never seen anything like it," the witch reported. Brianna scowled in thought.

"Collect a sample of each. They may be of use," Brianna decided and two of the wizards complied with her order. The witch then ventured closer to Danny and swept her gaze over him.

"It does have bandages Brianna. That other creature might be telling the truth about this one being injured," the witch called out. Brianna frowned. She glanced at Vlad.

"I've heard stories of what that creature did to those aurors. It is ruthless and powerful. How did it get injured?" Brianna asked Vlad sternly. Vlad bit his lip.

"Daniel has many enemies. Some are extremely dangerous. This particular enemy is one of them," Vlad answered carefully. Brianna frowned at him.

"How?" she repeated. Vlad sighed.

"I don't fully understand how it happened since it displayed power I have not witnessed before, nor thought possible. But the injury you can see was caused by Daniel's enemy phasing his arm inside Daniel through his back. A little like getting stabbed," Vlad explained, simplifying it for the witch.

"Phasing?" Brianna quizzed. Vlad resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes, phase. It means turn intangible and go through things. In this case, an arm was turned intangible, put through Daniel's back and then turned back to a tangible state. I assume you understand tangible," Vlad replied, condescendingly. Brianna scowled with annoyance and snapped her fingers, resulting in Vlad being punished with a lightning spell.

"That was for attitude. I don't like you," Brianna hissed. Vlad bit back a snide remark. Brianna then turned on her heel and marched into the Speeder.

She swept her gaze over the carnage in the vehicle. She crouched beside Danny and held a hand over his mouth. She nodded as she felt his breath. She then noticed the first aid kit beside the halfa.

"You treated it creature?!" Brianna shouted over her shoulder. Vlad didn't reply. Brianna turned to him and a wizard poked Vlad with his wand. Vlad nodded.

"I did. But I didn't do much. I cleaned his wound and wrapped it in bandages. His mother, I believe, is far more adept at first aid than myself," Vlad replied, hinting that Danny needed further medical attention. Brianna raised an eyebrow. She pointed her wand as Danny's bandages and with a flick of her wand, they unravelled.

"No!" Vlad exclaimed and tried to free himself from the wizards holding him. He was rewarded with a number of lightning spells.

The bandages unravelled and revealed a gaping round wound in the upper centre of Danny's back. Brianna pursed her lips and with a flick of her wand, rebound the bandages around Danny's torso. She turned to the witches and wizards watching her.

"Bring it upstairs but be careful. It's more useful to us alive. It might be able to call off these other creatures attacking worldwide," Brianna decided. Brianna then led the way out of the lab, followed by the two wizards holding Vlad and then by a number of wizards struggling to carry Danny in a way to not aggravate his wound.

 **Well, let me know what you think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

Harry watched the aurors guarding them and couldn't help but be reminded of the time he'd been caught while he was on the run chasing horcruxes and taken to the Malfoys' house. They'd taken his wand too. Steven had grown extremely quiet and Harry couldn't blame him. He'd lost his job, would probably be arrested and then what would happen to his family. Their eldest was going to start school the next autumn.

Maddie and Jack looked murderous but wouldn't move in case Danielle was punished, something the wizards had noticed and took advantage of. Sam sat quietly, straining her ears for any sign that Danny had been found or not. She tapped her foot nervously but that was the only movement she did and so the aurors seemed to allow it. Harry, Steven and Sam hadn't had the opportunity to tell Danny's parents what had happened yet.

Brianna led the way into the living room and pointed to an empty corner, where the two wizards holding Vlad directed him to. Maddie and Jack blinked in shock, then glared angrily at him before their eyes widened in fear at the sight of the blood covering the older halfa. Danielle gasped and then yelped in pain as she was shocked with a lightning spell. Sam stopped tapping her foot and watched the kitchen doorway with dread. If they caught Vlad, then they'd have Danny. Danny couldn't even move.

Their worst fears were confirmed as a number of wizards carried Danny into the room, unconscious.

"What did you do to him?!" Maddie exclaimed angrily, terrified for her son's wellbeing, glaring at Vlad. Vlad scowled.

"I didn't do that. I saved him!" Vlad protested with annoyance before being shocked by a lightning spell and ordered to sit down in the corner. Vlad curled his upper lip in disgust at being placed in a time out like a child, but he complied. Maddie frowned in confusion.

"He's telling the truth Mrs Fenton. We'll explain later," Harry whispered and gently pulled Maddie back into her seat, aware of the number of wands pointed at them, Danielle and Vlad. Not to mention the fact that Danny was back in MACUSA custody.

Maddie didn't resist but she kept her worried gaze on her son. She clearly wanted to go to him but knew she couldn't without endangering everyone in the room. Brianna watched as the wizards set Danny down on the ground carefully and stood beside Steven's ex-boss.

"Before you ask how we did it, it was like that when we found it," Brianna answered before the head auror could ask. The head auror nodded.

"Fair enough. If it's injured then it'll be easier to control," the head auror muttered, glaring at Danny.

"That creature is going to pay for putting two of my aurors in hospital," the wizard vowed darkly.

The room suddenly tensed as Danny groaned softly. He slowly opened his eyes and then tensed in fear.

"Why can't I wake up and have everything fix itself?" Danny mumbled with wide eyes, scanning the room. He saw his parents, Harry, Steven and Sam sitting on the seats, watching him worriedly. He noticed Vlad sitting angrily in the corner with wizards standing beside him. Vlad flicked his gaze behind Danny and quickly mouthed "Danielle", answering Danny's unspoken question. Danny inclined his head slightly and Vlad nodded, confirming that she was in a similar situation.

"One more word unless spoken to and you'll be punished. Understand?" Brianna growled. Danny smirked, thanking his time being a smart aleck towards Vlad.

"I understand. Can I ask a question, seeing that you spoke to me first?" Danny interjected boldly before Brianna could turn away. Sam shook her head at him. He shot her a reassuring smile. Brianna glared at him angrily.

"You weren't so bold when we arrested you," she commented. Danny tilted his head to the side, avoiding shrugging his shoulders but giving the same impression. Brianna considered the request.

"One question," she agreed. Danny bit his lip, trying to figure out the best way to ask what he wanted to know but phrase it as one question. He smiled to himself.

"Alright. I was wondering if we could make a deal," Danny replied.

Brianna blinked in surprise.

"Deal? You aren't in a position to make a deal creature," Brianna pointed out. Danny frowned at being referred to as a creature.

"Maybe. But I do know more or less what's going on. There are a few things I'm a little hazy on but Vlad, over there, can fill in the blanks for us I'm sure. Face it, you don't even know what I am. And I have most if not all your answers," Danny replied with a smile. Danny really hated the fact that he had to remain laying down and still while having this conversation but at least they were letting him talk.

"Alright, what are you?" Brianna inquired stiffly. Danny seemed to consider the question.

"Hmm, I think we're missing a step or a question, such as "What would you like Danny?" or something similar. By the way, I have a name other than _creature_. I think I mentioned it before how insulting it is to be called that," Danny retorted. Brianna frowned at him.

"You will answer our questions," she growled.

"Or what? You'll hurt me or someone else in this room. Do that and how can you trust that I'll answer your questions truthfully or fully? I might keep something important back. And most of your magic doesn't affect me. I have a theory on that also," Danny interjected and bit his tongue, waiting to be shocked for his speaking out.

The head auror lifted his wand but Brianna stopped him.

"Fine, what do you want?" Brianna growled reluctantly. Danny smiled at her.

"Let's see. First, release my family and friends, Danielle included. That's the girl behind me. Next, I do require medical attention. Healing spells don't work on me, so allow my family the room and freedom to help me. Feel free to watch but I doubt you'd understand since it's mostly muggle or no-maj medical technology. And finally, we work _together_. Partners not prisoner and captor calling the shots. Otherwise, you can forget it. I will help you, as I already was! But I require an amount of trust and freedom to do what I have to do," Danny answered. Brianna scowled when Danny mentioned Danielle, having been unconscious when he entered the room. She considered the requests. She shook her head.

"That is too much," She refused.

She turned to leave.

"I'm offering to solve all your problems. All I'm asking for is to be treated like a person," Danny called after her, certain that this time he'd be shocked. He was right. He groaned as electricity hit him and flowed through his body. He opened his eyes and saw Sam, Maddie and Jack ready to fight. He shook his head at them. They had to keep calm. This deal had to work, he just had to sell it.

"You want us to treat you like an equal after what you did to my aurors!" the head auror hissed. Danny flinched.

"I'm truly sorry about that. I wasn't myself and I know it's not an excuse, I regret what I did. But please understand that I was protecting myself and my family and they did throw the first punch, figuratively speaking," Danny explained.

Brianna considered Danny while the head auror scowled at him.

"How did you get injured?" Brianna asked. Danny blinked in surprise.

"An enemy of mine. Extremely dangerous and a very serious threat to everything. I don't like pinning blame, but Vlad released him. But Vlad is willing to help us, right?" Danny began and shot Vlad a stern scowl. Brianna glanced at Vlad. Vlad sighed and nodded. He carefully put his hand up, feeling completely ridiculous. Brianna blinked in surprise but nodded her permission.

"If I may, Daniel neglected to put a warning label on the container," Vlad pointed out.

"Oh please, not this again! It was locked in a _ghost-proof_ vault in the _Ghost Zone_! What more do you want?!" Danny snapped. Vlad scowled at the younger halfa.

"I was unaware what was trapped in there," Vlad reminded him. Danny scowled angrily.

"And you should know better than to stick your nose into other people's business," Danny growled.

Brianna watched the exchange in complete bafflement. She glanced at the other prisoners. Maddie and Jack glared at Vlad. Sam just slapped her face in exasperation. Harry and Steven seemed as baffled as Brianna.

"Stop! Stop. What are you talking about?" Brianna interrupted the growing argument. Danny turned his gaze to her and bit his lip.

"It's a long story. If you want me to tell you, I'd prefer to know that I'm not going to get shocked and to get some pain killers. This much talking is starting to hurt," Danny admitted. Vlad rolled his eyes.

"That's because you refuse to take it easy," Vlad muttered.

"I didn't ask for your opinion Plasmius!" Danny snarled. Brianna blinked in confusion but nodded.

"Fine. I'll allow Mrs Fenton to tend to your wound, but it must be done in here and anything she requires, she will be escorted to retrieve," Brianna decided.

Danny smiled gratefully to the witch. Maddie slowly got to her feet and approached her son.

"How did this happen?" Maddie whispered worried.

"Ghost phased his arm through my back and turned it tangible," Danny answered. Maddie blinked in shock and looked to Sam, Harry and Steven. They nodded carefully.

"Which ghost?" Maddie demanded.

"Later mom. I promise. Like I said, it's a long story," Danny replied. Maddie sighed but nodded.

"What did Vlad do?" Maddie inquired.

"As far as I know, he cleaned it and bandaged it," Danny recalled. Maddie glanced at Vlad who nodded. Maddie bit her lip.

"Can you use your powers?" she asked softly. Danny frowned and turned his hand closest to Maddie invisible.

"Yeah," he muttered.

Maddie turned to the wound.

"I might need help," she called cautiously. Brianna raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Brianna retorted. Maddie turned to the witch.

"I haven't seen my son's wound. I don't know what I'm dealing with. For all I know it may be so serious that I can't handle it. I need to have a look also, before I can even get what I need," Maddie explained stiffly.

Brianna narrowed her eyes but nodded in understanding, Brianna scanned the witches and wizards in the room and settled on a calm looking wizard.

"Matthew. Assist her," Brianna ordered. The wizard blinked in surprise but nodded. He knelt beside Maddie, watching Danny warily.

"What do you need?" Matthew asked. Maddie shook her head.

"Right now, please don't freak out. This is the easiest way to remove the bandages," Maddie mumbled and she gave Danny a meaningful nod. He smiled and turned his torso intangible. Every witch and wizard in the room, bar Harry and Steven, tensed.

Maddie quickly wound the bandages into a roll around her hand, ignoring the red stains. When Maddie had rolled all the gauze around her hand, she nodded to Danny. He turned his torso back to normal. Maddie ignored the wariness of her helper as she bent over Danny's back. She gasped.

"How deep is this?" Maddie whispered.

"The ghost grabbed my ice core, so as deep as that," Danny answered calmly. Maddie frowned in concern.

"Are you sure this wound is your only injury?" Maddie muttered. Danny bit his lip.

"It's the most important one mom. And the only one I'm aware of that we can deal with," Danny replied carefully. Maddie nodded and examined the wound.

"Danny, this is going to hurt a lot. It's still bleeding and I need to check how serious the internal damage is before I can stitch it up. Do you understand?" Maddie informed him. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, I'll try to stay conscious to answer your questions," Danny mumbled. Maddie smiled sadly and nodded.

"Matthew, I need you to go into the kitchen and grab a clean tea towel. First drawer on the right of the sink. Then come back," Maddie told the wizard. Matthew glanced at Brianna. The witch gave him a curt nod and he got up and fetched the tea towel. Maddie gently touched Danny's wound and apologised as he tensed in pain. Matthew returned and handed her the tea towel. Maddie folded it carefully and measured it up to Danny's wound.

"Alright, Matthew, I need you to apply pressure on Danny's wound while I get what I need," Maddie explained. Matthew's eyes widened in panic.

"You're leaving me alone? Touching it?" Matthew gasped terrified. Maddie frowned but before Maddie could say anything Danny smiled.

"Matthew, I'm not going to do anything. I'll probably be in too much pain to concentrate enough to do anything. You have my word. Besides, with all these wands pointing at me and my loved ones, it's not like I can do much anyway," Danny reassured the wizard.

Matthew swallowed down his fear and nodded. Danny made a good argument. Maddie then laid the tea towel over Danny's wound and brought Matthew's hand to it.

"Press down hard. That will soak up most of the blood," Maddie instructed and stood up. Matthew took a deep steadying breath and complied. Danny squeezed his eyes shut and grunted in agony. He tensed up and counted the seconds to prevent himself blacking out.

Maddie left the room, a witch following her on Brianna's orders. Both women returned in minutes. Maddie carrying fresh bandages, a flashlight, sewing needle and thread. The witch was carrying a glass of water, pain killers and few implements that Maddie would use to check the interior of the injury. They set everything down beside Danny.

"Danny?" Maddie called worriedly. Danny nodded to show he was conscious. Maddie bit her lip.

"With or without water?" she asked softly.

"Kinda hard to drink like this. Without," Danny answered carefully, trying and failing to keep the pain out of his voice. Maddie nodded and popped two pills into her hand and placed them in his mouth for him since moving his shoulders hurt his wound.

Danny swallowed the tablets with difficulty and returned to his counting the seconds, listening out for any questions his mother had. Maddie gently pushed Matthew back and removed the tea towel. She cleaned Danny's wound, both due to the tea towel's contact and because Vlad hadn't cleaned it properly. Danny stifled as much of his cries of agony as possible but Matthew and Maddie heard them being so close.

After twenty minutes, Maddie decided that there wasn't any major damage in the wound and had stitched it up. She then wrapped a new bandage around her son's torso, whispering when she needed some intangible help from Danny. Matthew, at this point, was no longer afraid of Danny. In fact, he almost felt sorry for the halfa.

Once Maddie had finished, she gathered everything together and, with her escort, returned it back to where she found it. She made to return to Danny's side to offer her son any kind of reassurance or support but Brianna stopped her and ordered her back to her seat.

The pain killers finally started to work and the throbbing pain in his back slowly reduced. It didn't completely vanish but it was manageable. Brianna folded her arms and after five minutes of silence, scowled impatiently at him.

"So explain yourself," she prompted. Danny nodded.

"Alright, but since my knowledge is my only bargaining chip, I will be keeping a few things to myself. When I was fourteen, a ghost, which is what these things attacking you guys are, told me about my enemy. Anyway, he's from an alternate time line which due to my actions will no longer occur. My enemy travelled to this time line when I was fourteen to ensure his, relative to us, future, happened. I fought him and trapped him in a Fenton thermos. The Fenton thermos is a valuable piece of technology my parents created designed to trap ghosts, I'm not explaining how to use one. Since he now exists outside time, I was forced to think of a long term home for the thermos. Clockwork, a ghost, offered to protect it. And it's been left alone until today. My enemy is after me for now. But if he succeeds in… in getting me out of the way, he'll change targets and attack the world. I've seen what he's capable of and you don't stand a chance against him," Danny explained carefully.

Brianna frowned at him.

"You're just saying that," she retorted. Danny shook his head.

"Wish I was. He's extremely dangerous and aggressive. He likes to destroy things. He did this to me without really trying. He caught me by surprise," Danny replied. Brianna glanced at the head auror and motioned for him to step into the next room to discuss their next move in privacy.

Danny rolled his shoulders experimentally and flinched as his back flared up in pain. He sighed loudly. Sam smiled sympathetically at him, understanding that he was frustrated with his condition already. Harry kept a sharp eye out for any weak looking witches or wizards that he could tackle and get a wand in case things took a turn for the worst. Steven kept his eyes down, clearly trying to be quiet and remain, as much as possible, unnoticed.

After a few minutes, Brianna and Steven's ex-boss returned.

"Alright, we're willing to make this deal. But I won't be the one watching you. My colleague, Karl Parker, will," Brianna announced.

"Fair enough," Danny agreed. Brianna nodded. Karl stepped closer to Danny.

"If you make one wrong move creature, I'll not hesitate to punish you," Karl informed him. Danny scowled at the wizard with deep seated dislike.

"Fine _wizard_. But like I said, we're equals. You treat me like a thing, I'll do the same," Danny growled. Karl scowled angrily.

"So, are you going to call off your aurors? They're still pointing their wands at my friends and family," Danny prompted. Karl snarled angrily but called off his witches and wizards. Vlad got to his feet and brushed the dust off his bloody ghostly suit. Danielle cautiously stood up as well and flew to Maddie and Jack. Karl knelt beside Danny.

"I don't care what you say or do. I will have justice for my aurors," Karl hissed. Danny quickly hid his guilt.

"Just remember. You've never dealt with me when I'm on top form. If you start a fight, I won't hesitate to end it," Danny promised.

 **Uneasy truce. Danny seems to be good at those…**

 **Anyway, the whole "creature" thing is from in the books and films that centaurs and so on, even though they're intelligent, a lot of witches and wizards like Umbridge, are prejudiced against them and treat them as lesser beings. A running thing in both fanfics is prejudice I'll admit, either when people think Danny's a weak muggle or that he's a dangerous creature.**

 **But, until the next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

A couple of hours later and Danny had been moved to the couch and Maddie had found some stronger pain killers. Danny smirked at Karl as he sat watching the halfa.

"Fair warning, I'm checking how my powers are working. Not attacking you," Danny called to the wizard, feeling extremely forgiving since the powerful pain killers were working. Karl raised an eyebrow before crying out in alarm as Danny's hand lit up with green energy.

"Ghost ray check," Danny remarked to himself.

Danny then closed his eyes and concentrated to form a duplicate. Karl yelped as a second Danny appeared beside him, uninjured. Danny opened his eyes and examined the duplicate with a critical eye.

"Hmm, could be useful. Never tried that while so injured, good to know the injury doesn't carry," Danny noted. Danny then commanded his duplicate to fly up and turn invisible and intangible. Danny nodded, knowing that his duplicate could only do the things he could do.

"Duplication, flight, invisibility and intangibility check," Danny announced to himself.

Karl scowled at the duplicate, who grinned at the wizard.

"Like it?" the duplicate asked. Karl's eyes widened in shock. The duplicate chuckled.

"It's connected to me mentally. Takes a lot of concentration and multi-tasking. Took me months to even manage this and years to get this good at it. It takes its energy directly from me, so even though I'm couch-bound I can get things done. But a strong enough hit, the duplicate will fail," Danny explained through his duplicate. The duplicate then glowed green and merged back with the Danny lying on the couch. Karl watched with barely disguised intrigue. Danny smirked.

"I do have a couple of powers that I'd rather try myself but can't due to circumstances," Danny informed him.

"Why are you volunteering this information?" Karl asked suddenly. Danny smiled.

"Three reasons. First, if we're going to work together, whether we like it or not, it's a good idea for you to know what I'm capable of. Second, by showing you this, I know you know that I'm powerful. Call it my way of good-naturedly threatening you. If you start a fight, this is what you're dealing with. Third, I need to check since my enemy may have messed with my powers and you won't leave me alone. And if those aren't good enough, I'm feeling great since these pain killers kicked in," Danny answered. Karl raised an eyebrow.

"So you're showing me this because you're dosed up on drugs," Karl remarked. Danny gave a half shrug, he'd figured out that he could do that without hurting himself too much.

"So, back to the intimidation thing. One of the powers I'm not able to check is what I call my ghostly wail. It can take down a city block," Danny informed the wizard. Karl's eyes widened in surprise. Danny smirked.

"Now, if those are all working then my normal energy wasn't affected," Danny commented to himself, returning to the task at hand. He took a deep breath. He held out his hand and focused on his ice powers and as his eyes glowed softly he cried out in pain. He put his hand to his chest and waited for the pain to subside. Karl leapt to his feet. He watched Danny with a mix of concern and distrust.

Danny slowly relaxed.

"Darn it," Danny hissed. He held out his hand and concentrated on his ice powers, ignoring the agony spreading from his chest and formed a tiny ice crystal. He dropped his hand and the crystal fell to the ground. Danny gasped for air and winced in pain. Karl blinked and cautiously picked up the crystal. He inspected it with interest. Once Danny had recovered, he held out his hand.

"Mind if I have a look? I want to see how bad it is," Danny requested. Karl raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't look bad to me," he commented. Danny smiled, though it looked more like a grimace due to Danny's pain.

"I usually can make a crystal at least twice as big as that. My ice core is damaged, I want to see how it has affected my abilities," Danny replied. Karl placed the crystal in Danny's hand.

Danny held the crystal to the light and frowned at it.

"Pathetic," he growled at it. Karl frowned. Danny noticed the wizard's uncertainty. He tossed it to the wizard, he caught it deftly.

"Look at it again," Danny ordered him lightly. Karl scowled but obeyed.

"Notice the cracks throughout. The edges aren't perfectly straight. And the colour. It's very slightly tinged green. It shouldn't look like that," Danny pointed out. Karl blinked as he noticed the imperfections.

"I need you to show that to my mom. Tell her what I told you. I might need to call in some extra medical help for this," Danny requested. Karl glanced at Danny.

"I'm not going anywhere. I want to heal," Danny assured him.

Karl nodded slowly, uncertain about leaving Danny alone but did as Danny requested. Karl walked into the kitchen and down to the lab.

"That's what happened?" Maddie inquired, horrified. Harry and Steven nodded.

"I think you owe me an apology," Vlad commented.

"For what? You released that monster!" Jack snapped. Vlad huffed angrily.

"There was no warning label. Leaving an object like that in the Ghost Zone simply invites trouble," Vlad growled defensively.

"Don't start about the warning label again. It was in a vault," Sam pointed out.

"Yes, and valuable things are kept in vaults, not necessarily dangerous things. I should know. I have enough vaults," Vlad retorted.

"Look! It doesn't matter whose fault it is. The point _is_ Danny's hurt and Dan's not going to give up so easily. Remember how addicted Danny got last year? Dan's going to be a hundred times worse, I can just feel it. Especially if Danny's right about him," Danielle interjected before an argument could start. Everyone nodded.

"Is there any way to heal Danny faster?" Steven inquired. Maddie bit her lip and turned to Vlad. Vlad glanced at her and frowned.

"Why are you looking at me? I'm not like Daniel. I don't pick fights with every ghost I meet. I mastered my powers before confronting ghosts like the ones he fights. I rarely get injured and I have enough money and power to get private treatment without questions," Vlad informed them smugly.

Maddie huffed an annoyed sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Then what is the point of you?" Maddie snapped. Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"Well, for starters, with Daniel injured I'm the only one strong enough to face Dan. No offence girl. Also I happen to know the reason behind all these attacks and the plan. Which I will not reveal until I can no longer use it as protection," Vlad answered unapologetically. Danielle scowled at Vlad, insulted that he didn't think her strong enough to face Dan. Not that she thought she could, but the jab still hurt.

Karl bit his lip. Despite wanting to learn more, he didn't like leaving Danny alone for long, especially having seen some of what the halfa could do. He cleared his throat loudly and stepped into view. Steven instantly shrank into a dark corner submissively. Sam turned to the wizard and scowled at him.

"What do you want? Bored of watching Danny like a criminal," Sam spat harshly. Karl raised an eyebrow.

"Actually he asked me to find his _mother_ ," Karl replied, finally deeming Danny "human enough" to be called "he" rather than "it". However he still had a problem considering Danny anything other than a creature. Maddie frowned at him.

"Why would my son send you to find me?" Maddie asked. Karl held up the defective ice crystal.

"He started testing his powers and sent me to show you this," Karl answered and handed it to the woman. Maddie scowled at Karl and turned to the crystal. She frowned in concern at it.

"That's not normal," she whispered fearfully. Karl nodded.

"He mentioned that. Said that he might need some extra medical help," Karl recalled. Maddie bit her lip and nodded slowly.

"Was this the only power he had trouble with?" Maddie inquired. Karl shrugged.

"Seemed that way. Seemed to be in pain when he tried it," Karl replied.

Maddie turned to the portal.

"I'll go Maddie. I know how to get to Frostbite and _he_ won't know about me," Danielle offered. Maddie glanced at the girl before smiling gratefully at her.

"Are you sure Danielle? I don't want you to get hurt as well," Maddie inquired worriedly. Danielle laughed softly.

"Maddie, I'll be fine. Despite what _Vlad_ thinks, I can handle myself. Besides this is important. I'd better take the crystal though. Frostbite might need to see it," Danielle replied. Maddie nodded and handed the crystal to her. Danielle then scowled at Vlad.

"I know you still have the map. Hand it over," Danielle demanded. Vlad glowered at her.

He then sighed.

"Fine, it's caused enough trouble already," Vlad relented, secretly grateful to not be responsible for it any longer. He casually walked over to the shelving unit he hid the map in and retrieved it.

"Try not to lose it like Daniel did," Vlad drawled. Danielle glared at him.

"You stole it!" Danielle spat but didn't press any further.

"I'll use the map instead of the portal. Should probably keep it locked with-er that ghost after Danny," Danielle decided. Maddie nodded. With that Danielle phased out of the house and opened the map.

Karl then turned and left the lab to continue watching Danny. Maddie and Sam watched the wizard leave, scowling at his back.

"I still don't like him," Sam growled.

"At least he dismissed most of his aurors. Now we have the room to start figuring this out," Harry offered. Sam nodded but still didn't look happy about the situation.

"So, what do we know?" Jack asked. Maddie glanced at her husband and nodded.

"Right, let's make a note of everything we know and Vlad can help," Maddie decided, glaring at Vlad. Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"I told you. I'm not telling you what I know until it is of no use to me. Just like Daniel is keeping things from those wizards, I am keeping things from him and by extension you," Vlad replied.

"Fine! Then go watch that wizard for us," Sam suggested angrily. Vlad folded his arms.

"You are not in charge Samantha. I would prefer to start cleaning this blood off personally," Vlad retorted and with that left the lab. Sam snarled at the bottom of the stairs.

"No one calls me Samantha!" Sam hissed.

Sam glowered at the stairs for a moment longer before turning and getting a pen and notepad.

"Let's start this. So first thing we know is Vlad and some other ghost were working together," Sam began, scribbling down the bullet point. Harry nodded. He then recalled that he still had the map of all the attacks in his pocket. He pulled it out and laid it out on a workbench.

"They attacked all these places. The ringed ones are the attacks Danny linked to Vlad," Harry explained. Sam nodded and noted the existence of the map.

"So Vlad and his partner were working together until recently. Why do you think Vlad switched sides?" Steven inquired. Sam tapped the pen to her lip before sighing.

"Because I think Vlad's partner ditched him and got Dan instead. It makes the most sense. Vlad and the other guy used the Infi-map for something. No idea what but they ended up at Clockwork's Clock Tower. They poked around, found the vault and thermos and then Vlad released Dan. I'm willing to bet that things took a turn for the worst. If Vlad was still working with his partner, they would fight off Dan together. Vlad wouldn't stoop so low as to switch to our side otherwise. He also genuinely seems to want to help Danny. I can't help but be reminded of Vortex," Sam explained thoughtfully.

"Vortex?" Steven repeated, Harry looked just as lost.

"A few years ago, Vlad brought a weather controlling ghost to Amity Park. He did it so that he could look good by fixing a drought he secretly caused to boost approval ratings. Long story short, Vlad messed up and Vortex stopped listening to him. Vlad turned to Danny for help and then abandoned him before the fight started," Maddie explained. Sam nodded.

"Substitute Dan for Vortex and we have a very similar situation. Vlad knows that Dan's dangerous and powerful. He also knows that Danny did beat him before. Vlad is hoping that Danny will fix this," Sam decided and then she wrote down her theory.

"So, an unknown ghost is behind all this and is now working with Dan. But why? What does that ghost want?" Harry summarised. Sam shrugged.

"I think the only person who can answer that is Vlad. If we knew who the ghost is, then maybe we could figure it out. But until then, we're stuck," Sam replied with a grim frown.

"But Danny said he has a few theories," Steven pointed out hopefully. Sam shook her head.

"I'm not so sure he does Steven. Danny might have been saying that to convince that witch to make a deal with him. Besides Danny never said he had a theory about the ghost behind all this, only about why spells don't work on him," Sam clarified.

"We need to talk to Danny in private. But how?" Harry decided. Sam bit her lip.

"There might be a way. Danny could make a duplicate, but I don't know how much energy he has. He mightn't be strong enough to sustain it for a prolonged length of time," Sam suggested. Harry nodded.

"It's worth a try," Harry agreed.

Sam walked into the living room and smiled warmly at her boyfriend.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Sam called to him. He looked up and grinned at her.

"Oh, you know I'm fine Sam," Danny answered. Sam playfully scowled at him.

"You know I hate it when you say that," she grumbled, expressing her dislike of his apparent catchphrase of "I'm fine". Danny smirked.

"And that's why I use it. What's up? I admit you are much better company than wizard here, but I can tell you want to say something important," Danny prompted, refusing to call Karl by his name until Karl extended the courtesy to him first.

Sam nodded.

"I wanted to tell you that Danielle went to get Frostbite. She's using the Infi-map," Sam informed him. He nodded.

"Wizard told me. At least she can return the map. But I think it's safe to say Frostbite is never going to let me borrow it again," Danny remarked with a small chuckle. But Sam could sense the underlying guilt and sorrow for what happened.

"Danny that wasn't your fault," Sam offered. Danny shook his head.

"I'm not going there Sam. You have something else to say?" Danny quickly diverted the conversation. Sam sighed sadly but understood.

"Yeah, um… I was wondering where you left the Ghost Catcher. We might need its services," Sam hinted. Danny frowned in confusion. Sam cursed how clueless her boyfriend could be when it came to clues.

"Remember last time we used it," she pressed. Danny shook his head slowly, completely confused. Sam rolled her eyes and checked if Karl was watching her. He wasn't. She mouthed the word, "duplicate". Danny's eyes widened in realisation.

"Right-er… Ghost Catcher. I think it's in the lab," Danny replied. Sam smiled and nodded. He'd gotten what she was trying to tell him.

"Thanks, I'll go look for it," Sam lied and left the room.

 **So, we're starting to figure things out and help is on the way for Danny.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

A few minutes after Sam returned to the lab, Danny walked into the lab in human form, uninjured. Steven blinked at him in surprise.

"Injuries don't seem to carry over to duplicates. Wish I'd known that before. That time I broke my arm would have been so much easier if I'd known," Danny explained, referencing an old injury and his difficulty in keeping his secret and to continue ghost fighting.

"So, without Karl around, how do you feel? And if you say you're fine, I'll slap you," Sam inquired. Danny shrugged.

"As long as I don't use my ice powers and the pain killers are working, I'm brilliant. Sick of lying still, but that's all," Danny answered.

"We've been catching your parents and Danielle up on everything. And trying to figure out what's going on. Any ideas?" Harry informed him. Danny opened his mouth to answer but then put up a finger and seemed to freeze. A second later he shook his head.

"Sorry, my guard asked me a question. Two conversations are hard to carry like this. Especially when I'm trying to keep it secret. If I freeze for a second, that's why. Ideas? Hmm, well it's obvious Vlad messed up and is hoping for me to fix everything," Danny explained.

"How is that obvious?" Steven asked. Danny smirked.

"Vlad's being nice to me. Actually seems concerned about me. If I didn't know better, I'd say old cheese head grew a conscience and a heart. Only seen that when he needs me to clean up his messes. Also, Vlad may think he knows how I work, but I know how he works too. I'd also say, any ghost looking for a partner is going to prefer Dan to Vlad," Danny replied. Danny then glanced at his parents.

"Did you guys tell them about Dan?" Danny inquired nervously. Sam nodded.

"I told them everything I knew," Sam admitted. Danny nodded.

"Mom, dad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him. But I wanted to keep all that in the past. I never expected Dan to get free," Danny apologised, looking extremely sorry. Maddie smiled at him.

"I don't blame you sweetie. It wasn't easy for you to think about. We're not angry at you," Maddie assured her son and pulled him into a hug. Jack joined in. Danny suddenly froze and muttered an apology. Maddie chuckled and shook her head, assuring him that they understood.

"You said you had a theory?" Harry reminded Danny after the family moment passed. Danny nodded.

"I think I figured out why only certain spells work on me. I think magic as a whole doesn't affect ghosts except certain spells that could prove fatal to normal humans. Think about it, electricity works on me, Vlad and Danielle. But healing spells don't. It's only a theory and I can't be certain, but maybe only spells that would kill someone affect ghosts and since we're all half ghost, the rule carries to us," Danny theorized. Harry nodded slowly.

"We could test that theory, but I'd rather not cast those kinds of spells," Steven interjected cautiously. Danny nodded.

"I understand. But this is a duplicate. No damage caused to it, occurs to me. Any other questions?" Danny replied. Harry bit his lip as he recalled the spell Snape invented, Septumsempra. It wasn't illegal and it was potentially life threatening.

"How bad is your ice core?" Sam asked, eager to change the subject. Danny frowned.

"Not sure. But channelling my powers is very painful and difficult. Definitely damaged. I just hope it will repair itself. My ghost sense is linked to it and the way it is, I don't know if it would even trigger," Danny answered. Sam frowned sadly with concern. Danny shook his head and smiled reassuringly.

"Hey, I was able to fight ghosts before I got my ice powers. And yeah not having a ghost sense will make things a whole lot harder, but I'll manage. Besides, it mightn't be that bad. I'd rather hear an expert's opinion before jumping to conclusions," Danny reassured the group.

"Danny's right. We don't know anything for sure, so let's try to be optimistic about this," Maddie suggested. Danny smiled gratefully at his mother. He froze for a split second and smiled apologetically.

"So, where's Vlad?" Danny asked. Sam scowled in annoyance.

"Cleaning off all the blood apparently. Refused to be in the room while we laid out everything we knew," Sam answered stiffly. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"That's Vlad for you," Danny commented. Sam shook her head.

"He wants your help to clean up his mess but he won't help us! It makes me so angry!" Sam growled. Danny placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Sam, don't let Vlad get to you. You know how he is. I'm sure he'll tell us what we want when he feels it's necessary," Danny soothed his girlfriend. Sam looked up at him and nodded.

Danny then turned to Harry.

"So are we testing my theory?" Danny asked. Harry bit his lip and glanced at Danny's parents.

"If these spells are fatal and work on you, you could be killed Danny," Harry pointed out cautiously. Danny nodded.

"That's why I'm offering to be a guinea pig only on my duplicate. Trust me Harry, I know what I'm doing. Also, this is important. If we can understand why certain spells work when others don't then we'll have an advantage. We'd know what spells work against ghosts and use that against the ones attacking _and_ we'd have an advantage over those aurors," Danny replied calmly.

"You want to be experimented on?" Sam inquired sceptically. Danny shrugged before grinning to himself.

"Man I've missed being able to shrug! You have no idea how frustrating it is to not be able to do that and lead a cocky conversation!" Danny exclaimed excitedly. Sam giggled and Danny's parents smirked.

"But, yeah. I guess I do want to be experimented on. The difference is I'm offering and Harry, and maybe Steven, won't be doing anything I'm not comfortable with," Danny affirmed, growing serious again.

"You're sure?" Harry ventured and Danny nodded. Danny then walked to a clear section of the lab and spread his arms, waiting. He froze for a second before nodding to Harry. Harry bit his lip and took out his wand. He decided to start with not necessarily fatal spells.

"Incendio," Harry commanded. Danny shook his head after the spell had no effect.

"Wizards at MACUSA figured out that didn't work on me. Actually it was after that spell that they figured out heat affected me," Danny commented. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Incendio is a fire conjuring spell," Harry informed the halfa. Danny raised a thoughtful eyebrow.

"Alright, fire doesn't work. Next?" Danny decided.

Harry nodded and tried a number of spells but none worked. Harry frowned.

"That's all the approved, legal spells I can think of," Harry admitted. Danny nodded.

"All spells the MACUSA guys tried," Danny added. Steven bit his lip.

"There is a spell that would prove or disprove Danny's theory. But it's illegal," Steven muttered. Harry nodded.

"I know what you're thinking Steven, but I have another spell up my sleeve. One I only used once and regretted it. Luckily Malfoy didn't die," Harry revealed. He had been trying to avoid using this spell but it looked like this was the last choice, other than the killing curse. Harry cast Septumsempra and everyone waited but like before, there was no effect on Danny.

"What does that spell do?" Danny asked curiously.

"When I cast it on Malfoy, in my defence I didn't know what the spell did, it was like an invisible sword stabbed Malfoy over and over again. Luckily help was nearby," Harry answered. Steven frowned.

"That can't be legal," he remarked. Harry shook his head.

"As far as I know, was never taken to the Ministry to get approved. Can't be illegal if no one knows about it," Harry replied.

"So that illegal spell… what is it?" Jack asked nervously. Harry glanced at the large man.

"Avada Kedrava. The killing curse. Only one person has ever survived it," Steven answered and nodded at Harry. Maddie shook her head.

"No. I will not let you use that spell on my son. Even if he is a duplicate. We don't know for sure if magic doesn't carry over to Danny's original body if it affects him," Maddie interjected sternly.

"Easy way to find out mom. Use a lightning spell on my duplicate and we'll see if my original upstairs feels it," Danny suggested. Harry stared at the halfa.

"Danny, we know that hurts you," Harry pointed out with concern. Danny nodded.

"That's the idea Harry. I told you before, those spells, they hurt, but it's not anything really bad. Nothing compared to shocks I've gotten in the past," Danny assured the wizard.

Harry glanced at Danny's parents and Sam. Sam frowned at Danny but nodded reluctantly. She was giving Harry the go ahead, despite not liking the situation either. She trusted Danny's judgement. Harry sighed deeply and pointed his wand at Danny. He cast the spell and winced as Danny doubled over and grunted in pain. He shook his head and stood up straight. He blinked a couple of times.

"Didn't affect my original, like I knew it wouldn't," Danny announced. Sam bit her lip and left the lab, Danny's duplicate rolling his eyes at her back.

Sam poked her head around the living room doorway. Danny looked up and smirked at her.

"Find the Ghost Catcher alright?" Danny asked from his position on the couch. Sam blinked and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. We found it. Just trying to get it to do what we want. I thought I heard something up here so came to check. Danielle back yet?" Sam lied. Danny shook his head.

"What about you wizard?" Danny prompted. Karl glowered at him.

"I have a name," Karl snapped.

"And so do I. I told you, treat me like a thing and I'll return the favour," Danny retorted. Karl glared at the halfa before turning to Sam.

"Haven't heard or seen a thing. Just been talking with him. He's telling me about some of his "ghost fights"," Karl answered.

Sam nodded and smiled at her boyfriend. It was a good thing to occupy Karl with. Danny told some of his stories so often that reciting them became second nature. Also, if he accidentally repeated something, he could blame the medication. Sam turned to leave.

"Oh, Sam. Ask mom to check how long those pain killers work, might be needing some more soon," Danny called. Sam agreed to do as he asked.

She returned to the lab.

"Why didn't you ask her yourself?" Sam inquired. Danny's duplicate raised an eyebrow.

"Right, and then have to explain why I have a duplicate down here," Danny pointed out. Sam bit her lip and blushed as she realised that Danny was covering his tracks.

"Mom, I asked Sam to ask you to check how long those pain killers last. Got to be starting to wear off soon," Danny repeated himself. Maddie's eyes widened.

"Of course, I'll do that now. Sorry Danny," Maddie quickly replied and went into the kitchen. Danny then folded his arms.

"I don't want to ask you to break your laws Harry. But this could make or break my theory," Danny urged.

Harry shared a look with Steven.

"Steven, if this spell was cast but not used, would it be classed as illegal?" Harry pondered aloud. Steven bit his lip.

"I suppose, if there's no body, there's no proof. But are you sure Danny?" Steven replied. Danny nodded.

"This is a duplicate. Anything you do to it doesn't affect me. I'd rather experience a little discomfort from a destroyed duplicate than have Danielle end up dead because we didn't know if this spell was dangerous to us," Danny answered. Harry nodded.

"Alright, here goes," Harry murmured and recalling how Voldemort had explained the way the unforgivable curses worked, he pictured Bellatrix in front of him, cackling about killing Sirius. He pointed his wand at Danny and hissed the spell.

Green light erupted from his wand and struck Danny. He was thrown backwards into the parked Spectre Speeder but apart from hitting his head, he was unharmed. Harry shuddered at the hateful feelings he experienced to cast that spell.

"Never want to do that again," Harry muttered, clearly shaken. Danny got to his feet and looked down at himself.

"Huh, guess that disproves my theory. I thought I had figured it out," Danny complained. Jack and Sam breathed a sigh of relief.

Maddie returned and scowled as she realised that they'd gone ahead with the spell while she was gone. But she sighed in relief as she saw that Danny was unharmed. Danny then asked if there was anything else they wanted to talk to him about before recalling his duplicate.

 **This won't be forgotten, but it won't be figured out in this fanfic. I am planning to wrap things up fully in a later fanfic. You'll see at the end why, and I'll explain then.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22

An hour after Danny had recalled his duplicate, Danielle returned with Frostbite. They phased into the lab so that Karl could be warned before Frostbite called into the living room.

"Frostbite, thank you so much for coming," Sam greeted the immense ghost.

Maddie was busy in the kitchen preparing some food for everyone for dinner as it was getting late. Jack had decided the best thing to do was get the Spectre Speeder back into operational condition and so set about the task of cleaning up his son's blood with Sam's assistance. Harry and Steven were helping either Jack and Sam or Maddie. Vlad had kept himself to himself since he wandered off to clean himself up.

Frostbite gave a large warm smile.

"Of course I came. If the Great one needs me, I am offering my aid. Especially when he returned the map as he promised he would. Our people owe him much," Frostbite replied.

"How is he?" Danielle interjected. Sam smiled.

"Chatty. I just checked in on him ten minutes ago. I think he's getting a little restless and the medication certainly isn't helping," Sam answered. Danielle smiled fondly.

"Well, my cuz does hate being told he can't do things. Especially when he's hurt," Danielle remarked. Sam nodded.

Sam led Danielle and Frostbite out of the lab and into the kitchen. Maddie looked up and smiled. She was both relieved to see Frostbite there to help her son and relieved to see Danielle back safe and sound. Harry and Steven turned to the new arrivals. Frostbite noticed Harry and grinned.

"Harry Potter! It's wonderful to see you. And who is your friend?" Frostbite boomed excitedly, having not noticed either wizard or at least not recognising Harry when they were in the Far Frozen. Harry smiled and greeted the ghost.

"This is Steven Robinson. He's been helping us with the ghost situation. I don't know how much Danny told you," Harry introduced the American wizard. Frostbite grinned and shook Steven's offered hand enthusiastically.

After a minute or two of catching up between Harry and Frostbite and a little getting to know each other between Steven and Frostbite, Sam cleared her throat to get Frostbite's attention.

"So, Frostbite. Did Danielle show you Danny's crystal?" Sam asked, eager to get the ghost back on to the reason why they'd asked him to come. Frostbite's friendly grin faded into a serious scowl.

"I did. It is not a good sign. I need to see the Great one in order to know exactly how seriously his ice core has been damaged. But I have to believe that the Great one will heal. He is, in ways, far more mysterious than the Infi-map. I doubt that anyone would know for certain what the Great one is truly capable of," Frostbite answered optimistically. Everyone smiled, grateful for the boost in morale.

Sam then stepped into the living room.

"Sorry, but thought I should warn you before he came in. Frostbite's here," Sam announced. Danny looked up and grinned broadly, both with relief and excitement. Laying still for hours was starting to get to him. Karl frowned.

"Frostbite?" Karl repeated.

"Yep, friend of mine. Leader of the Far Frozen and knows a lot about my kind of medical needs. Send him in Sam," Danny interjected quickly. Sam smirked at her boyfriend and nodded.

Once Sam had ducked back into the kitchen, Danny scowled at Karl.

"Listen, if you attack Frostbite I will not stop him from defending himself and if he is unable to defend himself, I will. Understand? Do not attack him! He is a frightening ghost but he will not harm you," Danny warned sternly. Karl scowled at the halfa but reluctantly nodded.

A moment later Frostbite walked in and grinned at Danny.

"Great one! I wish we were meeting again so soon on better terms," Frostbite greeted Danny, seemingly ignoring Karl. Danny smiled.

"Same. I'd get up but I'm not allowed," Danny replied. Frostbite laughed good-naturedly and knelt beside him.

"Have you tried to change into your ghost form?" Frostbite asked. Danny shook his head.

"Been trying to take it easy. Do you want me to change now?" Danny answered. Frostbite nodded. White rings appeared around Danny's waist and travelled across his body. His bloody jeans, shoes and bandages vanished and were replaced with his iconic black and white jumpsuit. His hair turned white and his blue eyes changed to glowing green.

Danielle came in then with a first aid kit and a few ghostly implements for Frostbite to use and left shortly afterwards to allow Danny and Frostbite as much privacy as possible. Frostbite quickly bandaged Danny's wound as the bandages didn't exist on his ghost form. Frostbite then popped a thermometer in Danny's mouth.

"How do you feel? Any different?" Frostbite inquired. Danny shook his head.

"No different," Danny answered, his words muffled by the thermometer. Frostbite took the thermometer and frowned at it.

"Ninety six. A little high but considering that your core is damaged it makes sense," Frostbite muttered. Danny allowed the ghost to examine his physical condition without protest. Frostbite inspected Danny's ghost aura, his hair and eyes for any changes.

Once he had finished his preliminary examination, Frostbite glanced at the wizard.

"You may want to back away. I am going to inspect the Great one's ice core and things may turn cold or volatile," Frostbite warned. Karl narrowed his eyes and defiantly folded his arms. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Hey wizard, did I mention I can use telekinesis?" Danny called and Karl glowed softly green and floated into the air. Karl cried out in alarm. Danny moved the wizard to the stairs and set him down on the bottom few steps.

"Stay," Danny ordered condescendingly. Karl snarled at him but didn't move, catching on that Danny would just put him back.

Frostbite turned to Danny.

"This is not going to be nice Great one. I need you to use your ice powers while I am holding your core," Frostbite explained.

"As long as I don't end up with another hole in my chest, that's fine," Danny replied. Frostbite nodded.

"I fear you were injured so severely due to reverting to your human form while in such a situation. In your ghost form, this will not be damaging but you must stay in this form. If you are in danger of reverting, warn me," Frostbite informed him. Danny nodded.

"Got it. Let's get this over with," Danny confirmed.

Frostbite nodded and turned his intact arm intangible. He phased it through Danny's back and turned just his paw tangible.

"I'm going to touch your core now," Frostbite warned. Danny nodded. It was a weird feeling having a solid mass moving around inside his body. It wasn't painful but it was certainly unsettling. Frostbite reached out and gently wrapped his paw-like hand around Danny's core. Danny hissed in discomfort. It was like having someone touch a stinging burn. Frostbite watched Danny with concern.

"Now what?" Danny asked in a forced even voice.

"Now, I require that you form an ice crystal. I need to see how your core is functioning and without the medical equipment at the Far Frozen, this is the only way," Frostbite explained. Danny nodded.

Danny stretched a hand out in front of him and focused on his ice powers. Frostbite watched Danny closely and saw that Danny's eyes were struggling to remain a ghostly blue. They kept reverting to green. As Danny's eyes struggled, so did the energy building in his hand. It wasn't a ball of pure blue ice energy but a swirling mixture of green and blue. Frostbite frowned as he felt power pulsing irregularly through Danny's ice core and he listened to Danny's erratic breathing as he struggled to form the crystal. Danny dropped his hand and a green tinged, cracked ice crystal fell to the ground. Frostbite then gasped as he felt Danny's ice core heat up and then cool down rapidly. Frostbite knew that that sensation would cause pain and he nodded to himself.

He poured a little of his ice energy into his hand and cooled Danny's ice core gently. Danny's pained scowl lessened.

"Thanks Frostbite," Danny whispered. Frostbite smiled and then carefully released Danny's core and turned his hand intangible as he removed his arm.

"I believe I know what has happened. And we may be able to reverse your condition," Frostbite announced. Danny nodded.

"So what's wrong with my core?" Danny asked.

"It's isn't damaged like we feared. It's merely drained of energy and has become inflamed due to being burned. You had a ghost ray released in your chest correct?" Frostbite began.

Danny frowned.

"I think so. Don't really remember much after I started losing energy. But ghost energy was charged in his hand while holding my ice core," Danny confirmed thoughtfully. Frostbite nodded.

"After you fell unconscious, Vlad Plasmius released a lot of ghost energy in your chest to encourage you to recover some for your lost energy," Frostbite informed him. Danny's eyes widened.

"He did what?! Doesn't he know how dangerous that was? Aside from whatever damage that much heat could do to my ice core, I could have absorbed too much," Danny exclaimed. Frostbite nodded.

"It was a risky but well-intentioned gesture Great one. I believe a necessary one. Draining your ice core so much has caused it to be weakened. You cannot access your ice powers fully and in your attempt, your powers have merged. This causes your ice core to heat up and then it is forced to cool itself again. The action itself is uncomfortable and usually painful, but add that to the physical burns to the exterior and it would be excruciating. I must insist that you not use your ice powers until your core has recovered. You will regain your energy in time but only if you stop using your ice energy unnecessarily. If you don't, you run the risk of exhausting your ice energy and overheating your core, which I needn't remind you is serious," Frostbite explained.

Danny bit his lip.

"What about my ghost sense? I've never been able to control that. Will it trigger or will it cause my core to overheat?" Danny asked worriedly, realising that his ghost sense hadn't triggered when Frostbite and Danielle arrived, but if Vlad was still in his sense's range then that could explain it. Frostbite frowned in thought.

"Your ghost sense is only a small release of your ice energy. It should still work, but be warned, it may be painful. But I doubt that your ghost sense will be dangerous for you, as long as you do as I say," Frostbite decided. Danny nodded and smiled with relief.

"Well, at least I know that this isn't permanent. That's a relief. Can you do anything for my back? Even if it's only in my ghost form. I need to be able to move if we're attacked," Danny inquired hopefully. Frostbite chuckled.

"I believe I do know of an old ghost healing remedy. Death Rose should benefit you. It is a cousin of the Blood Blossom but instead of harming ghosts, it heals them," Frostbite answered.

Danny craned his neck around as much as he could without moving his back to look at the ghost.

"Death Rose? Okay, where do you find it?" Danny asked. Frostbite shook his head.

"I'm afraid it is an extremely rare flower nowadays. Death Roses grow in similar regions to Blood Blossoms but they have a negative effect on the blossom. During the 1600s, humans grew Blood Blossoms in order to protect themselves from ghosts and witches, a belief stemming from a legend originating in Salem about a witch being freed by a ghost slave but being pushed back by Blood Blossoms. A ridiculous story as ghosts haven't worked that closely with witches in America for centuries. But as a result, Death Roses were destroyed to make way for the Blood Blossoms which were in turn farmed to near extinction," Frostbite answered.

Danny groaned, recognising the story of a witch being saved by a ghost in Salem. He'd done this. Inadvertently, but he was responsible. Well, Danny _and_ Vlad. Of all the ways their fight through time had to come back and bite him, it had to be this.

"So, you're saying that we have no chance in finding such a flower," Danny moaned. Frostbite smiled.

"Well, an intact flower, perhaps. But after hearing your cousin's recounting of what happened, I knew that you may require urgent healing. So I brought a phial of Death Rose extract. Harvested by our people over centuries," Frostbite revealed and pulled a small phial filled with bright blue liquid from a fold in his rag-like clothes.

Danny blinked at the phial in surprise and shock. As Frostbite made to uncork the bottle, Danny shook his head.

"Wait. Are you sure? If that stuff is so rare and important to your people, do you really want to give it to me?" Danny interjected. Frostbite smiled.

"I am sure Great one. Death Roses are not extinct yet. We can replace the extract. Besides this is not our entire reserve. We have another phial. You require this extract in order to face your enemy. Your enemies tend to be a threat to more than just you Great one. Now, I need you to revert to human as that is where the majority of the damage was done," Frostbite replied calmly. Danny smirked at the ghost. Frostbite was a true friend and a loyal one too.

Danny changed to human. Frostbite handed him the phial.

"Drink half of it. I will apply the rest directly to the wound," Frostbite instructed. Danny took the phial. And with a grunt of pain, he sat up slightly in order to take a quick swig which he couldn't from his laying position. He swallowed the extract and gagged. Frostbite took the phial as Danny flopped back down on his front, cringing as the extract began to work. It seemed to burn his throat and it tasted disgusting. Frostbite carefully unwound Danny's bandages and cut the stitches with his claw, removing them with intangible help, and then poured the extract directly in Danny's wound. Danny gasped as the burning sensation spread through his entire chest cavity and it became difficult to breathe.

Karl watched in complete silence. Danny's parents, Danielle, Sam, Harry and Steven waited in the kitchen for Frostbite's diagnosis. Danny's eyes grew heavy as the extract continued to work as he became sedated. Frostbite watched Danny's wound carefully as the blue extract seeped into Danny's red muscle and flesh. The wound glowed softly and then Danny slumped into the couch. Frostbite rewrapped Danny's wound to prevent any infection as it healed and turned to the wizard.

"He'll be unconscious for at least two hours, but more likely three," Frostbite informed him and then returned to the kitchen to explain Danny's condition to everyone else.

 **And Danny's back has been treated. Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

Vlad walked downstairs having spent two hours working to rid the blood stains from his ghost suit. But he'd managed it, eventually. Despite what he'd said to Sam, he hadn't gone straight to clean himself off. He had been intrigued to learn what Danny and his helpers knew or at least what they thought they knew. He had to admit, he was impressed by their deductions that Grindelwald had replaced him with Dan.

He had been shocked at the plausibility of Danny's theory about ghosts and magic also. Vlad had to admit to himself, that he didn't always give Danny the credit he deserved. Of course the halfa could be clueless and mightn't always see the big picture and was generally too stubborn for his own good, but he had come up with a sound theory. Danny also came up with good plans such as making a deal where he was the resource for the witches and wizards in order to get what he wanted. Vlad couldn't help but grin at how cunning Danny had been. It was a move worthy of Plasmius.

Vlad hadn't been seen by any one for three hours at this point, two of those hours were spent cleaning but the third was spent spying on Danny and the lingering witches and wizards in the area. But he had decided to come back into contact with Danny and his group of friends and family as he was famished. He hadn't eaten since that morning before heading to the Rockies. It was amazing to think that so much had happened in one afternoon.

But Vlad knew that they couldn't sit around and wait for Danny to heal normally. Dan would figure out where they were soon and would attack. Vlad had decided that after getting something to eat, he would feign exhaustion and retire for the night. Then he would sneak over to his mansion and hope that neither Dan nor Grindelwald would be there so that he could search his library for anything to help them. Just because he didn't know of a method to help Danny, it didn't mean he couldn't find one.

Vlad, in his ghost form, walked into the living room and spotted Karl sitting in a chair beside Danny, eating food from a bowl in his hand. Vlad scowled at the wizard before noticing that Danny wasn't conscious. His eyes widened in worry instantly.

"What did you do to him?" Vlad growled menacingly at the wizard. Karl put down the forkful of food he was about to eat and glared at the older halfa.

" _I_ did nothing. A creature did this," Karl retorted stiffly. Vlad froze. A creature? Karl meant a ghost. Had Dan attacked? No, Vlad hadn't heard a struggle. But then again, Danny was so injured that Dan would be easily able to overpower him.

"Who did this? What did they look like?!" Vlad demanded.

"Big thing. Furry and white," Karl answered. Vlad relaxed. Dan hadn't attacked. It had been Frostbite and that ghost was exceptionally loyal to Danny. Danny was probably sleeping off a cure for his ice core or something. Perhaps the snow monster had recommended that Danny rest to aid his healing. Vlad nodded and entered the kitchen.

There he saw Maddie, Jack, Sam, Danielle, Harry and Steven sitting around the table eating stir-fry from bowls. Frostbite sat at the table also, engaging in conversation with the living. Vlad cleared his throat.

"Anyone want to explain what happened to Daniel? He's unconscious," Vlad pointed out. Maddie scowled at him.

"You weren't here Vlad. If you wanted to be kept updated, you should have stayed here," Maddie growled. Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"I assume that you were polite enough to make enough for everyone present," Vlad remarked and flicked his gaze at the bowl in front of Maddie. Maddie scowled at him angrily.

"Vlad, you may speak to others like that, but you will not speak to me like that! Nor my family. There is a bowl on the side. But any more rudeness like that and I will not hesitate to blast you through the front door!" Maddie snarled, ignoring the fact that their front door wasn't even attached to the door frame after Danny blasted it off its hinges. Luckily it had been mostly intact. Vlad blinked in surprise. He didn't apologise but nor did he make another comment despite the meal being cold. He felt that he'd be pushing his luck if he heated it in the microwave.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Vlad cleared his throat softly.

"So, what happened to Daniel?" Vlad repeated his question now in a much less commanding tone. Frostbite glanced at Sam beside him. She glared at Vlad but nodded her permission to Frostbite.

"I treated his wound and I have diagnosed the condition of his ice core. And he is not unconscious, he's sedated," Frostbite answered. Vlad nodded.

"And his ice core? What did you determine?" Vlad inquired. Frostbite shook his head.

"It isn't damaged. Inflamed and weak, yes, but not damaged. Rest and not using his ice powers and he will recover. I have given him a large dose of Death Rose extract. That should heal both his back and his ice core's burns. But the extract should heal his back as a priority since I applied it more directly to there," Frostbite explained.

Vlad nodded again.

"Death Roses are?" Vlad questioned.

"Rare flowers that heal ghosts. Cousins with Blood Blossoms," Sam answered sternly. Vlad blinked at her tone of voice.

"I didn't realise that asking that question was not to your liking Ms. Manson," Vlad growled. Sam scowled at him.

"They weren't rare before the 1600s. They were destroyed to make way for Blood Blossoms after a witch was rescued by a ghost in Salem. Sound familiar," Sam snarled. Vlad frowned in confusion before he replayed the Goth's words in his mind. 1600s. Salem. Witch rescued by a ghost. Vlad scowled angrily.

"You can't honestly blame me for this. How was I to know that the eradication of ghost healing plants would occur because of that?" Vlad replied incredulously. Sam shrugged.

"If the shoe fits," Sam hissed. Vlad glared at her.

"Ugh! Can we please stop bickering!? We have more important things to worry about," Danielle exclaimed. Sam and Vlad stopped their glaring contest to look at Danielle. Danielle scowled at them.

"Look, right now we have to work together. Danny's hurt, Dan's after him, some unknown ghost caused a break out and is attacking the human world. Not to mention that Danny agreed to help Walker to round up his prisoners. So can we please call a truce and ceasefire and whatever else, we need to work together without constantly arguing?" Danielle continued.

Sam lowered her gaze and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Danny. And I don't trust Vlad," Sam admitted. Vlad softened his glare and sighed.

"I am not a threat to you at the moment. I'm want to stop all this as much as you do. My previous partner isn't the sharing type," Vlad muttered. Sam glanced at him.

"I have no doubt that he'll try to remove me from the situation to prevent my influence over the ghosts interfering with his plans," Vlad added quietly.

"So truce? Everyone?" Danielle asked. Everyone at the table glanced at each other bar Frostbite and nodded slowly.

"Very well. But perhaps we should lay out some ground rules. To help understand where we all stand," Vlad suggested. Sam nodded.

"Alright, rule one, don't call me Samantha! Second rule, we're all honest with each other. By which I mean, we tell you what we know about Dan and you tell us what you know about your ex-partner," Sam decided. Vlad nodded slowly.

"Two points on those, first if you don't wish me to call you, for purposes of asking I assure you, Samantha, what would you prefer? And secondly, that second rule is null and void. You have already told me everything you know about Dan," Vlad replied. Sam frowned at him.

"Call me Sam. Or Ms. Manson. Whatever, just not Samantha. And yes, I told you all what I know. But I don't know everything about Dan. Danny knows more. He fought Dan and he was trapped in the future for a time too. And while I think of it, we should write this down," Sam answered and grabbed a pen and notepad from a drawer.

Vlad raised an eyebrow but didn't question the first two rules further. The next twenty minutes were spent stating rules and explaining reasoning or elaborating on what the rule entailed. Most were simple don't act like this towards us rules. But a few were reasonable rules about asking questions on certain topics or guidelines on what behaviour was allowed such as rooms Vlad could go without asking and which he couldn't. The lab was one of those restricted rooms. Sam then wrote out the rules in a more uniform and neater way so that Danny could read and comment on it when he woke up.

Frostbite excused himself and went to check on Danny. The ghost smiled as he saw the halfa stirring. Frostbite knelt beside Danny and gently removed the bandages and grinned when he saw the wound had closed up fully. All that remained was a red patch of new skin. Frostbite placed the bandages safely to one side.

Danny blinked his eyes open and saw Frostbite watching him. He jumped as the ghost startled him. Frostbite smiled good-naturedly.

"I apologise Great one. How do you feel?" Frostbite inquired. Danny blinked again.

"A bit out of it honestly. Guess the extract hasn't worn off. But I feel fine," Danny answered eventually. Frostbite nodded.

"It is to be expected. Tell me if where I touch hurts," Frostbite requested. Danny nodded groggily. Frostbite gently touched a claw to Danny's back. The halfa didn't even flinch. Frostbite ran a hand carefully over the new patch of skin.

"Bit tender, but otherwise nothing," Danny muttered. Frostbite grinned.

"Would you like to move?" Frostbite asked. Danny nodded.

"If I'm allowed… definitely!" Danny answered with a tired grin. Frostbite laughed and helped Danny sit up. The sedative hadn't fully worn off yet but Danny was sitting up for the first time in hours. Frostbite smiled at Danny and went to fetch the others in the kitchen. Danny relaxed back into the seat and shut his heavy eyes. His mind was still in the process of waking up but the relief and excitement that his back had healed was there all the same.

 **And Danny's back is healed! Not his ice core but at least he can move. Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	24. Chapter 24

Sam, Maddie and Jack were the first in the living room and smiled in relief and happiness to see Danny sitting up. Sam walked over and sat down beside him. Maddie perched on the arm next to him. Danny opened his eyes and noticed his girlfriend and mother sitting beside him. His father was standing beside Maddie.

"Oh hey, did I miss anything?" Danny asked. Sam laughed.

"Not really. We made a sort of contract with Vlad but you can read that later. How do you feel?" Sam answered. Danny smirked.

"I'm fine," he replied and held up a hand to defend himself as Sam playfully whacked his shoulder.

"How many times Danny? I hate it when you say that," Sam grumbled but she was smiling all the same. Danny chuckled.

"Which is why I say it. But I mean it Sam, I'm alright," Danny retorted.

For the next five minutes, Danny was greeted by his relieved family and friends, all asking how he felt. Vlad slowly ventured into the room and noticed Danny glance his way. Vlad bit his lip and kept his distance. Vlad may have come to an understanding with Maddie, Jack, Sam and Danielle, but he had yet to reach that level of trust or at least teamwork with Danny. Maddie fetched Danny something to eat and afterwards Danny excused himself to get changed, promising to read their sort of contract afterwards.

Vlad took a deep breath and knocked on Danny's bedroom door.

"Just a sec," Danny called. Vlad bit his lip and wondered if he was making a mistake. Danny opened the door having changed his jeans.

"Oh, Vlad. Come on in. Just have to find a shirt and I'll read that thing you made with my family and friends," Danny greeted him. Vlad stepped into the room.

"Yeah about that. I wanted to talk to you first. You know, come to an arrangement outside of the agreement I've already made with them," Vlad began. Danny glanced at Vlad as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Vlad, I'm willing to work with you. I'm going to agree with whatever you guys have already decided," Danny assured him.

Vlad blinked in shock.

"Wait, you are?" Vlad exclaimed. Danny smirked and rooted out his spare sneakers from the back of his closet.

"Vlad, we've worked together in the past. What's the difference?" Danny reasoned.

"In the past I tricked you into helping me. Now I guess I truly need your help," Vlad answered. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"I don't believe that Vlad. We worked together to stop the Fright Knight during the Ghost King's take over. There's no way you could have known that would happen. And be honest," Danny retorted. Vlad frowned.

True, he hadn't expected the Ghost King to send an army to retrieve the ring and then to take Amity Park into the Ghost Zone. He'd worked hard to reverse that oversight in judgement. But ultimately it was Danny who had saved the day. Danny did have a point. They had worked together, not happily, but they had worked together. And they'd been quite formidable as a team. It was why Vlad was so certain that if Danny ever did join Vlad, they'd be a force to be reckoned with, possibly even unstoppable. Vlad regarded Danny.

"You really are okay with working with me? No conditions?" Vlad inquired. Danny smirked and pulled on one of his shoes.

"Vlad, I've seen many sides of you. Mostly, yeah, the fruit loop side and the creepy obsessive side. But I have seen your kinder side. You saved me from Dan. You treated my wounds. You could have left me in the Ghost Zone after the whole Pariah Dark thing but you didn't. I know, before you say it, it made you look good to return with me. But Vlad, I know you have a human side and you only ever show it when there's nothing left," Danny replied. Vlad frowned at Danny.

"You sound so sure," Vlad muttered. Danny pulled on his second shoe and nodded.

"I travelled to the future Vlad, to the alternate time line Dan's from. In that time line, you had lost everything. But when I turned up your portal gateway, you didn't attack me. You greeted me and then once I explained my situation, you explained what happened and even helped me. Admittedly, you had a crazy look in your eye that concerned me, but it worked nonetheless. Vlad, that side of you came from somewhere. So you have to have that version of Vlad in you now. And I can see it," Danny informed him.

"Does that mean that you can see yourself in Dan?" Vlad asked uncertainly. Danny frowned.

"I guess I can. Especially now I know what it's like to be over charged," Danny admitted. Vlad bit his lip.

"What is it like?" Vlad inquired. Danny looked up at the older halfa.

"In one word, amazing. I know I should say it's horrible and so on, but it's not. You feel completely empowered and energised. It's like being electrocuted without the pain. And man, does it make you powerful. I can fly twice as fast, throw stronger ghost rays, duplicate faster and better than ever. I can teleport with more accuracy than I thought possible. In a way, it showed me what I could be capable of with training. But it's addictive and dangerous. You become so blinded by that much raw power that you don't always realise what you're doing. I can't help fear that if I ever go overboard, I could end up hurting someone, killing someone and chances are it would be someone I care about like Sam, my parents, Tucker, Jazz or even Danielle. That's why, when I realised what charging myself so much did to me, I cut it. I stopped because I was afraid that I was turning into my alternate self," Danny explained, at first with a look of longing and then with a saddened expression and shame.

Vlad remained silent. Unsure what to make of Danny's brutal honesty and what he was saying.

"You know, you charging me… that was dangerous. You could have over charged me. But Frostbite said that he thinks it was the right thing to do," Danny mentioned, breaking the silence. Vlad glanced at Danny.

"After what happened, I only ever consider charging myself in extreme circumstances and unfortunately I misjudged that earlier. The aurors I hurt. I was over charged. So over charged I didn't even realise it. All I cared about was getting rid of those wizards and witch. I didn't think about the fact that I could hurt them, I could have killed them if Sam hadn't stopped me. The MACUSA have every right to hate me Vlad. Sam says I shouldn't blame myself because it wasn't me. But I chose to charge myself, knowing the risks. I charged myself using the portal. I've never done that before and the amount of energy… it was seductive. I can understand why Dan does what he does now. I can even understand how he would go so far as to charge himself using my energy. But I don't know how I can fight something so powerful," Danny resumed.

Vlad took a step closer.

"I'm sorry Daniel. I should have listened to Clockwork. I should have listened to my instincts. But I didn't. I was only thinking of the plan and I was only listening to Grindelwald," Vlad apologised. Danny blinked in shock. He could sense that Vlad hadn't meant to reveal the name of the ghost he was working with until recently. He pushed down the questions he had and turned to Vlad.

"Daniel, I want to right this wrong. So partners?" Vlad continued uncertainly. Danny smirked.

"For now," Danny agreed. Vlad smiled. It was true that after everything settled, chances were they'd return to being enemies. They shook hands and Danny got up from his bed.

Vlad decided to check if Dan or Grindelwald were hiding in his mansion and excused himself. Danny didn't try to stop him, it worked to his advantage. Now he could ask Harry and Steven about this Grindelwald without the danger of Vlad walking in and finding out that they knew who his ex-partner was. Once Danny returned downstairs, Karl was once again in guard mode and refused to let Danny leave the living room without him.

Danny walked down to the lab and scowled at Karl as the wizard followed him.

"Hey Harry, Steven. A word?" Danny called to them. Steven was getting a lesson in how to use an ecto-gun. Since Danny was out of immediate danger due to his wounds, Maddie and Jack had decided that they had to prepare for Dan's arrival as Dan would come sooner or later. Harry and Steven looked up and frowned at the serious look Danny gave them. There was something up. They excused themselves and went with Danny and Karl into the kitchen.

"Harry, remember that spell you used that made it so I couldn't hear you. Think you can cast it on our unwelcome guest," Danny whispered. Harry frowned before he recalled the night excursion in Hogwarts where Voldemort had attempted to suffocate Danny in his sleep. He nodded and discretely pulled out his wand.

"Muffilato" Harry mumbled under his breath and flicked his wand secretly at Karl.

"How does that spell work?" Danny muttered.

"It fills a listener's ears with a buzzing sound so that they can't listen in on us. It's one of those unapproved spells I know," Harry answered softly.

"So if I talk normally, he won't hear me," Danny inquired. Harry nodded.

"More-or-less yeah. What's so important that you want to talk to us like this?" Harry replied. Danny bit his lip.

"One sec, so you're saying that all American wizards think British aurors are better than American ones," Danny announced in an even voice. Steven scowled and opened his mouth to protest. Harry caught the ex-auror's eye and shook his head. Danny waited but Karl didn't react. He seemed more occupied with rubbing his ear and scowling in confusion.

"Wow, worked perfectly," Danny complimented. Harry smiled.

"I knew it would. Relax Steven, Danny was just testing out a spell I just cast. I never said that," Harry replied. Danny smiled apologetically.

"Couldn't think of anything else I could say to get a reaction for definite," Danny admitted sheepishly. Steven blinked in confusion but nodded.

"What spell did you use? I've never heard of a spell to cause deafness," Steven asked. Harry smirked.

"One of those unapproved spells. You have no idea how helpful it is. I'll teach you it if you want but I'd prefer to keep it to a select few," Harry answered.

"So, Danny. What's so important that you can't have Karl hear it?" Harry asked, turning to the halfa. Danny bit his lip as he thought of the best way to explain what he knew.

"Alright. I was speaking with Vlad just now. And he unintentionally told me the name of his ex-partner. So I wanted to ask you if you recognise it," Danny began. Harry and Steven's eyes widened in surprise and excitement. They leant forwards expectantly.

"Grindelwald," Danny told them. Harry and Steven turned to each other.

"He's dead?" Steven inquired. Harry nodded.

"Yeah. Voldemort killed him while he was searching for- er searching for something. But I thought wizards were harmless ghosts," Harry replied.

"You know that ghost then?" Danny prompted. Harry shook his head.

"Not exactly. Grindelwald was a dark wizard. Obsessed with the deathly hallows and defeating death. He was extremely powerful and tried to take over. But I'm a little sketchy on why. Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and Grindelwald was arrested. No one heard from him again. His death wasn't even reported on in most papers because it was during the whole war with Voldemort," Harry explained. Steven nodded in agreement.

"So you think that Grindelwald went to Vlad for help and Vlad is the mastermind here?" Steven inquired. Danny shook his head.

"No. I know Vlad. This isn't his usual game. He wants a few things, me, my mom and his destiny. Dunno his destiny but he doesn't use his powers to forcefully get what he wants. He manipulates. Also, I think I know when Vlad and Grindelwald might have met. The prison break passed through the Fenton portal. Walker doesn't have any influence here and it's extremely difficult for him to track down and arrest ghosts in the real world. Amity Park was chaos. The ghosts didn't really cause much trouble but you know, they saw a few vulnerable targets and might have half-heartedly attacked. If Vlad decided to get involved to protect his assets, then he could have met Grindelwald and made a deal. Besides, Vlad wouldn't ally himself with a weak ghost. No, Grindelwald is a powerful ghost," Danny explained.

Harry and Steven shared a look.

"So, what now? We trick Vlad into telling us about Grindelwald?" Harry asked. Danny shook his head.

"Won't work. Vlad's not stupid. He only said Grindelwald's name because he wasn't being careful with his words. I don't think he realised he even said the name. I tried to not react. But if we push this, Vlad will push back. He might even turn on us. Leave Vlad to me. We have a special relationship. I know where to press to get what I want," Danny informed them. Harry and Steven nodded.

"Should we tell the others?" Steven inquired. Danny nodded.

"I don't want them out of the loop. Just in case I don't get the chance or mess up in getting Vlad to open up. But don't let Vlad know we know about his ex-partner. And don't tell the aurors. I'm only useful to them as long as they don't know what they're dealing with. But if things go south, tell them the bare minimum," Danny decided.

 **And Grindelwald is revealed to our heroes. Let me know what you think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25

Vlad spent the majority of the night checking all the places he'd taken Grindelwald while planning their combined attacks and moves. But there was no sign of the ghost and his new partner. Vlad returned early the next morning and fell asleep on the couch, not sure of where else he should go.

Danny was the first up the next day, he'd gotten plenty of rest over the previous day between passing out and Frostbite sedating him. Frostbite had returned to the Far Frozen the previous evening. Karl had been outraged once he realised that Danny had had a private conversation right in front of him and he'd been unable to listen in. But Danny simply argued the fact that he had the right to tell Karl what he wanted Karl to know. Danny had also drawn the line with Karl guarding him overnight and had spent half an hour teleporting away from Karl whenever he tried to sneak into Danny's room. Karl had eventually gotten the hint and gave up. He spent the night in a sleeping bag in the Ops Centre, with all the control consoles locked from use with Harry and Steven.

Danny got ready for the day and made himself cereal for breakfast. He walked back into the living room to grab his laptop and noticed Vlad Masters sleeping on the couch. Danny raised an eyebrow but decided not to wake him. Danny had a suspicion that the older halfa had been busy for the night. Danny had his breakfast and then emailed Joseph, asking for lecture notes from the previous day. Within twenty minutes, Joseph sent them. Danny then began to read over them, scowling in concentration as he read.

It wasn't long before the rest of the house started to wake up and joined him in the kitchen. Karl was one of the first, along with Danielle and Harry. Sam wasn't a morning person and Danny didn't expect to see her until much later.

"Morning," Danny called over his shoulder without looking up.

"Morning Danny, sleep well?" Danielle replied. Danny glanced at her and smiled at Harry as he walked in behind her.

"Yep. How about you two?" Danny retorted. Danielle noticed Harry.

"Was alright. Not used to sleeping in a sleeping bag but thanks," Harry answered. Danny and Danielle smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, we don't have a lot of bedrooms. Dani took the spare one when she moved in when I left for college and I dunno how Jazz would feel having people she's never met in her room," Danny apologised, Sam had taken Jazz's bed. Harry shook his head.

"I understand Danny. At least you guys had a few sleeping bags lying around," Harry assured the halfa.

"Creature! You aren't meant to do anything without notifying me," Karl exclaimed angrily. Danny groaned.

"And it was such a nice morning," he moaned. Danielle smiled as she passed to get her own breakfast.

"I didn't realise that I was obligated to tell you everything I do. I'll catch you up. I got up, came down, had breakfast, cereal before you ask and then I got my college notes. I've been studying all morning," Danny informed him with obvious sarcasm. Harry bit his lip. He felt sorry for Danny but he knew that he was on thin ice with Karl as it was. The threat of getting deported was still very real to Harry.

Karl glared at Danny.

"Don't take that tone with me," Karl snarled.

"Then don't treat me like that!" Danny snapped. Karl glowered at Danny before grudgingly sitting at the table. Danny rolled his eyes and turned back to the notes on his laptop. Danielle handed Harry a bowl and offered the cereal choices to the wizard, purposefully ignoring Karl. She had to be careful with her own secret and had recalled to change in to her ghost form before coming downstairs. Danny however had seen that Vlad was in his human form on the couch. Thankfully the living room was pretty dark in the mornings. Danny bit his lip as he considered what he should do about that. He sighed softly.

"I'll be back in a minute. Need to get something from my room," Danny muttered and got up from his seat. Karl made to follow. Danny glared at him.

"No, I don't need a babysitter or whatever you consider yourself. I'll go upstairs, grab what I need and come down. If you follow, I'll just teleport," Danny growled, hoping that Karl would listen to him. Karl raised an eyebrow but sank back in his chair.

"If you're not back in a minute, I'm not going to listen to these kinds of requests again," Karl threatened. Danny glowered at the wizard but secretly he was relieved. It just proved that Karl was starting to see that Danny wasn't a mindless, aggressive creature.

Danny walked into the living room and checking that Karl wasn't watching, he rushed over to Vlad. He shook his head at the halfa and gently hefted the man into his arms and teleported both himself and Vlad to his room. Danny nearly buckled under the sudden weight as they appeared in Danny's room in a puff of green mist. Danny struggled to carry Vlad to his bed, being in his human form he didn't have access to his ghostly strength. Danny then gently dropped the man onto the pillows. Danny shot an annoyed look at the man.

"Couldn't you have fallen asleep somewhere less conspicuous? I'm not going to protect your secret forever," Danny whispered to him and then grabbed his college bag and teleported down into the living room again.

Danny walked back into the room and opened his college bag and took out his notepad and started to write out Joseph's notes in his own words, more so that Karl didn't get suspicious than needing to do it for himself. Once Danny made sure he understood what Joseph had sent him, he turned off his laptop and put everything away in to his college bag, and after a veiled threat and glare, Danny returned the bag to his room alone. Vlad was still fast asleep.

Vlad woke up at nearly midday. He was at first confused at why he was asleep in Danny's room before he realised that Danny must have moved him there. He got up and stretched before changing into his ghost form, recalling Karl's presence. He walked downstairs and found Danny pouring over Harry's map, Karl sitting in a corner watching the younger halfa. Vlad walked into the room and cleared his throat.

"Morning Daniel," Vlad called softly.

"Only just Vlad. Sleep well?" Danny replied with a smirk. Vlad frowned at him.

"What are you doing?" Vlad asked. Danny glanced at Vlad.

"Trying to see a pattern. I mean, I know about the ringed attacks. But the other ones, they're unrelated. I'm trying to see the reason behind them," Danny explained, mindful not to mention that Vlad was one of the beings responsible for the situation. He mightn't like the man, but he knew that if Karl heard that, Vlad would be detained like he had been.

Vlad sighed and looked at the map. He blinked in surprise at the amount of attacks Danny had identified to be linked to him. He had spotted almost all of them. There were a few abroad he had lead missed but all of the ones in America, Danny had spotted them.

"Impressive little badger," Vlad muttered. Danny glanced at the older halfa, uncertain if he was complimenting him or taunting him. Danny decided not to comment. To take the remark one way, Vlad would assure him it was the other to make him look foolish.

"Mom helped," Danny told him. Vlad nodded and sat beside Danny.

"I don't suppose we could talk privately?" Vlad whispered, giving Karl a discrete glance. Danny grunted in dislike, following Vlad's gaze.

"Tell me why and I'll see what I can do. He doesn't like to leave me alone longer than a few minutes. Took me ages to convince him not to camp out in my room last night," Danny replied softly, pointing to the map to throw Karl off what they were talking about. Vlad bit his lip.

"I was thinking last night. I have a feeling that when it's time to tell you important things, there won't be an opportunity to explain. I can't help but feel that this is the calm before the storm," Vlad answered carefully. Danny glanced at Vlad.

"Is this about what happened yesterday, or what's been happening for the last couple of weeks?" Danny inquired. Vlad sighed.

"Both," Vlad retorted. Danny nodded.

Danny folded the map up and slipped it into his jeans pocket. He got up and walked into the kitchen. Danielle was doing some homework and Sam was doing college work. Harry and Steven were talking in there as well.

"Lab," Danny ordered as Vlad and Karl followed him in to the room. After a quick glance, the four people sitting around the table understood the importance of this impromptu meeting and didn't question him as they stood and filed through the door to the lab.

"Go ahead Vlad. Harry, remember our little conversation yesterday," Danny continued. Harry caught on and hid behind the door to the lab, ready to cast the muffling spell. Danny turned to Karl.

"Stay here," Danny commanded. Karl scoffed.

"I don't follow your orders creature. And I'm not letting you go down there without me," Karl grumbled. Danny scowled at Karl.

"Alright fine, but Vlad's in a bad mood and you keep this up, I will be too. Trust me, you don't want to tick us off, we're bad enough together. Annoy me too much, might end up picking a fight with Vlad and that can get out of control fast. Besides, it's not like you'll hear anything but buzzing anyway," Danny retorted. Danny had taken the credit _and_ the blame for Karl missing an important conversation. Karl glowered at Danny but pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.

"I'll be in here. If you're not back in an hour, I'm arresting you," Karl compromised. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you just check down there? I'm not leaving the house. Stop threatening to arrest me and so on, it's annoying. You know, I could just as easily throw you into the Ghost Zone," Danny retorted. Karl blinked before grudgingly agreeing to give Danny an hour before checking in on him.

Danny then walked through the door and shut it. Harry gave him a questioning look.

"Relax Harry, I was lying. No one's in a bad mood. In fact Vlad's offering to explain some things," Danny confessed.

"You said that to convince Karl to leave us alone didn't you?" Harry realised with a smirk. Danny nodded with a smile and they both walked down the stairs.

Maddie and Jack had spent the entire morning making sure all their weapons were fully charged and in working order. They'd also completed a full check over on the Spectre Speeder and the Fenton Assault vehicle. However once everyone started filing into the lab, Maddie and Jack had interrupted their preparations and turned to Danny.

"Okay Vlad we've got an hour before Mr. annoying comes down to check on me," Danny announced with a roll of his eyes.

"Daniel, when I asked for a private conversation, I didn't mean away from just Karl," Vlad grumbled. Danny shrugged.

"Whatever you tell me, I'm just going to tell them. So save me the hassle," Danny retorted. Vlad scowled but nodded.

"Fine. The ghost I was, until recently, working with is named Gellert Grindelwald. In his life he was a gifted and powerful wizard and he is now a powerful and gifted ghost. I met him during the prison escapees' escape through Amity Park," Vlad began and then frowned when his confession wasn't yielding the desired effect.

"This is kind of big news," Vlad added with a hint of annoyance.

"You mean old news. Vlad you let slip to me yesterday that your ex-partner was called Grindelwald. I asked Harry and Steven about him and I figured out when you two met. Harry and Steven passed the info on for me. Why were you even working with Grindelwald?" Danny replied casually. Vlad blinked in shock before frowning.

"When did I tell you about Grindelwald?" Vlad demanded.

"You mentioned Grindelwald when you and I had that little conversation yesterday where we agreed to a truce until this was all over," Danny answered calmly. Vlad blinked and frowned as he recalled the conversation. He growled in annoyance as he remembered what he'd said.

"So Vlad, keep going," Danny prompted.

"What else do you know?" Vlad snapped. Danny shook his head.

"That's it," Danny answered. Vlad nodded, relieved that he hadn't unintentionally said more than he'd meant to other than Grindelwald's name.

"Very well, during the escape and your pathetic attempt to stop them," Vlad resumed with a grin. Danny scowled at the older halfa.

"Grindelwald saw that many of the ghosts held great respect and even feared me. He approached me and we came to an understanding. He told me about the wizarding world and I, in return, taught him things about the Ghost Zone," Vlad continued.

"Such as how portals work and the Infi-map," Danny realised. Vlad nodded.

"Grindelwald suggested a partnership and I agreed. I later revealed what I was and Grindelwald decided to tell me his entire plan. He wanted to unite the real world and the Ghost Zone. That first meant that we had to create a crisis that only _we_ could fix and in return we would rule over both worlds," Vlad explained. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Hence getting me arrested," Danny added. Vlad bit his lip and nodded. Danny sighed in annoyance and gestured for Vlad to continue.

"Well, once the plan had been completed, Grindelwald offered me the throne or whatever we chose to be the seat of power over the united worlds. He would rule by my side and take care of the witches and wizards and I would deal with the non-magical folk. Together we'd control the ghosts. Grindelwald said that since I am a halfa, I was a better example of unity than he," Vlad concluded. Danny blinked in shock at Vlad.

"You idiot Vlad. You really thought that Grindelwald would literally give you the world to rule? When are you going to learn that you aren't cut out to rule?" Danny retorted. Vlad frowned.

"I disagree," Vlad muttered.

"Do I need to remind you of that fire in ancient Rome?" Danny snapped. Vlad flinched.

"That wasn't my fault," Vlad began.

"Vlad! You threw those ecto-blasts! It was your fault," Danny cut him off.

"I was aiming at you!" Vlad argued.

"Right, that makes it _all_ better," Danny agreed sarcastically. Vlad scowled angrily.

"Don't push me Daniel," Vlad hissed. Danny's eyes flashed green. Sam stepped in between the two halfas.

"Okay break it up. You have a truce right?" Sam called out. Danny shook his head at Vlad before turning away and took a calming breath. Vlad huffed in irritation.

Harry and Steven glanced at each other and edged a little closer to Danielle.

"Is that normal?" Harry whispered. Danielle turned to them and shook her head.

"Usually they'd be shooting at each other by now. Danny's ticked. And Vlad… he doesn't take much provocation," Danielle answered.

"I thought Danny knew how to get what he wanted from Vlad," Steven muttered. Danielle nodded.

"He does. If I'd tried anything like that, Vlad wouldn't have answered me. In fact, if I'd tried that he would have blasted me and left," Danielle replied. Harry and Steven frowned in confusion.

"Alright Vlad, I'm guessing that you don't think that's the plan anymore. Otherwise Grindelwald wouldn't have turned on you," Danny continued after a moment of calming breathing techniques. Vlad noticed the change in Danny's tone of voice.

"How do you know Grindelwald turned on me? I may have turned on him," Vlad pointed out, also calming down. Danny scoffed.

"Right, you're going to turn on the guy that can explain how the wizarding world works and organised a break out from Walker's prison and so controls the ghosts? Yeah right Vlad. Besides you wouldn't have come running to me if you were in charge," Danny retorted. Vlad pouted in annoyance but didn't deny it.

Vlad shook his head.

"I fear that Grindelwald wasn't honest about his intentions. He wanted me to show that ghosts and living people can live in harmony," Vlad replied.

"And Dan doesn't display that," Danny realised. Vlad nodded.

"So you know the guy best. What do you think he really wants?" Danny prompted. Vlad frowned.

"I have no idea Daniel. He was very secretive. He didn't even tell me about all his attacks. That map of yours, I didn't know about half of them," Vlad admitted. Danny stared at Vlad.

"So, you're saying that you can't help us," Danny inquired disbelievingly. Vlad nodded miserably.

"Now you see my reluctance to inform any of you what I knew, and once the aurors know that I helped Grindelwald…" Vlad trailed off sadly. Danny sighed sadly.

"Vlad… I'm not going to hand you over to them. On one condition, you help me stop Dan and Grindelwald and clear _my_ name," Danny offered. Vlad looked hopefully up at Danny and nodded.

"Definitely. I do apologise Daniel. The wizards were only meant to detain you. I had no idea that they'd experiment on you and hurt you," Vlad replied. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. You didn't want to hurt me and yet you dropped me twenty feet or so in the Rockies," Danny pointed out. Vlad rolled his eyes.

"Stop being so dramatic Daniel. All that happened is you hit your head. I knew you wouldn't get hurt from the fall. I've seen you get hit harder by your daily enemies than that fall," Vlad retorted.

"Yeah, as Phantom!" Danny snapped. Vlad waved a dismissive hand. Danny growled in annoyance.

"We're still not even for you revealing my secret though," Danny reminded him with an angry scowl.

"It was a few aurors. It's not like it was anyone you knew or the Guys in White," Vlad retorted. Danny glared at him.

"What's to stop the aurors from telling the American government Vlad?! I'm still not out of trouble. The Guys in White might still come after me!" Danny replied heatedly. Vlad cringed and remained silent.

"So, any ideas Vlad?" Danny prompted. Vlad bit his lip.

"Grindelwald isn't the type to get his hands dirty. Not unless he has to. What about Dan?" Vlad answered carefully. Danny folded his arms and frowned in thought.

"Dan's been driven crazy. But the last time he attacked me he went after my family and friends. Pretended to be me. I don't know if he can look like me now since he stopped being human when he-I-we… whatever was fourteen. But… if I was trying to figure out Dan's next move, it would be coming here to attack my family and friends," Danny replied thoughtfully. Vlad nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, but Grindelwald wouldn't let a crazed ghost ruin his plans. He'd advise Dan," Vlad began.

"You really think Grindelwald can talk sense into Dan?" Danny interjected sceptically. Vlad nodded.

"I do. Grindelwald can offer Dan what he wants. Dan wants you and… I may have told Grindelwald about you," Vlad explained with an apologetic cringe. Danny scowled.

"What did you tell him?" Danny demanded in a dangerously calm voice.

"I may have told him what you were, who you're friends are, where you and your friends could be found," Vlad listed and bit his lip, waiting for Danny to shout at him. But Danny didn't shout. Instead he went completely pale.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Danny whispered. Vlad shook his head.

"It was my only protection," Vlad attempted. Danny shook his head.

"You realise that you've sent Dan after Tucker and Jazz, right?" Danny revealed before running out of the room, having forgotten his phone in the living room.

Vlad gasped and glanced at Maddie and Jack. The parents looked terrified and chased their son, worried about their eldest child. Vlad glanced at the others in the room. Harry and Steven looked angry. Danielle looked pale and concerned but Sam was outraged. She marched up to Vlad and slapped his face.

"You are so selfish!" She snarled. Sam then left the lab to see if Danny had gotten through to Jazz or Tucker yet.

 **Yeah, Vlad really isn't having much good luck in this story. Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Anyway, until the next chapter.**


	26. Chapter 26

Danny dialled Tucker's number for the fifth time while his parents tried Jazz for the sixth time. Danny punched the end button when he got Tucker's voicemail. He'd left three messages already, he didn't need to leave another. He glanced at his worried parents as they hung up another unanswered call.

"I swear if Vlad got them hurt…" Danny hissed to himself unsure how to end that sentence, as he typed in Tucker's number again. The call rang off. Danny growled in frustration.

"Danny, I'll keep calling Tucker. Ask Vlad what else he told-er the enemy," Sam suggested, aware that Karl was in the room. Danny nodded and teleported back to the lab, much to Karl's annoyance. Vlad had hidden down there since he'd dropped the bombshell.

"Vlad, who else did you tell Grindelwald about?" Danny demanded angrily. Vlad bit his lip. He shook his head.

"I only know of Sam and Tucker being your friends. That's all, I don't know much about your college life," Vlad answered fearfully. Danny scowled at Vlad.

"I'm warning you now Vlad, if anything happens to them, you're going to regret it," Danny threatened. He teleported back to the kitchen. Vlad glanced at Harry, Steven and Danielle who had decided to stay and watch Vlad. He turned away. He'd really messed up this time.

Danny watched as Sam ended another unanswered call to Tucker.

"If they don't answer in the next few minutes, I'm going to them," Danny decided. Sam turned to Danny.

"Danny, you can't do that. It'll take you hours to get to them and it's too dangerous to go through the Ghost Zone right now. They might be in lectures or unable to answer for some reason," Sam attempted to reason with her boyfriend. Danny shook his head.

"No, I have a really bad feeling about this. It explains why we haven't been attacked yet. If they don't answer, I'm going through the Ghost Zone, I don't care about the risks. I have to know that they're okay," Danny retorted worriedly. Sam put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him warmly.

"Danny, I'm sure they're fine. Jazz is pretty smart and she was the one to figure out it was him and not you last time. And she's gotten tons better at ghost fighting. And Tucker. As annoying as he is, he's not half bad at ghost fighting either. After all these years, we know not to go anywhere without something to protect ourselves," Sam reassured him. Danny smiled at her before frowning.

"Tell me the truth Sam, do you always carry a weapon and a thermos when you're not in Amity Park?" Danny asked. Sam bit her lip nervously, but her reluctance to answer him told him what he wanted to know. She didn't. While Tucker always carried around his tech, ghost weapons were different. And Jazz, despite always wanting to be prepared, ghosts generally came after him before his family.

"I should have warned them the moment I knew _he_ was involved!" Danny growled, angry at himself. Sam sighed.

"I'll try Tucker again," she decided and typed in his number.

Danny walked into the living room and the worried looks on his parents' face told him they couldn't get through to Jazz either. Danny sighed to himself. He felt so helpless. What could he do?! Ignoring Karl trailing behind him, he went to his room and got out his laptop. He returned to the living room and turned his laptop on. He opened the internet and typed in a search for ghost attacks. It was a possible hint at what Grindelwald and Dan were doing. If a ghost attack was happening, it might mean that Dan was helping Grindelwald at the moment and not the other way around.

He frowned however when a news report popped up that had been uploaded minutes ago. He clicked it but turned off the volume on his computer. He didn't need to worry everyone even more with news of a recent ghost attack. However when the video had finished buffering and started, Danny's eyes widened in shock. Lance Thunder was reporting on a ghost at the Nasty Burger. Danny didn't need the sound to see that the restaurant had been evacuated and he could see why. Floating above the building was none other than Dan Phantom. Danny scowled angrily at the video. Dan had a sick obsession of getting Danny to the Nasty Burger. He'd done it when he'd been trapped in the future. He'd tried to blow up his family at the Nasty Burger during the C.A.T.s and now he was luring Danny back to that establishment.

Danny closed the laptop, but didn't turn it off. He calmly walked back upstairs. He didn't want to worry his loved ones. Besides Dan was one ghost that they couldn't help him with. Dan was most dangerous when he had hostages, Danny had to hope that Dan hadn't gone after Jazz and Tucker first. He changed into his ghost form.

"What are you doing?" Karl spoke up. Danny froze, he'd forgotten about the wizard.

"I'm going for a flight," Danny half-lied. He would be flying to the Nasty Burger.

"Not buying it. Where are you going?" Karl growled suspiciously. Danny turned to Karl and glowered at him.

"None of your business," Danny snarled.

"Actually it is my business. The only reason I'm here is to watch you. You aren't that interesting to watch you know," Karl retorted. Danny sighed.

"Fine, you want the truth, I'm going to a ghost attack across town. I don't want to worry everyone," Danny admitted.

Karl raised an eyebrow.

"I'm coming with you," Karl decided. Danny shook his head.

"No, you're not. It's too dangerous," Danny refused. Karl glared at the halfa.

"I'm an auror. I've been in dangerous situations before creature! You have no right to side line me," Karl informed him. Danny glanced worriedly at the stairs.

"Karl please," Danny whispered. Karl froze. It was the first time Danny used the wizard's name. Danny wasn't playing a game, he was being serious.

"I have to do this alone. Please cover for me," Danny continued, knowing that the wizard was listening attentively. Karl frowned.

"This ghost is dangerous, especially with hostages. My family and Sam… they can't help me this time. I have to go alone," Danny pleaded softly. Karl bit his lip.

"Alright, but come back. If you don't I'll never hear the end of it," Karl agreed in the most understanding tone he'd ever used when speaking to Danny. They usually growled at each other and argued but they'd finally stopped seeing each other as enemies.

"That's the plan, because if they find out what I'm doing, I'm going to be in big trouble," Danny replied with a nervous smile before jumping into the air and phasing out of the house. Karl glanced at the stairs and decided to wait upstairs. He went to the Ops Centre, it had the best views and ghost fights tended to be destructive. With luck, Karl might even be able to keep an eye on the halfa.

Danny flew through the skies as fast as possible.

"Right, no big deal. Face Dan, defeat him, find a thermos and get back home before anyone notices. Man I wish I'd grabbed a thermos," Danny muttered to himself nervously. Danny flew up higher to try and approach the Nasty Burger unseen. Hopefully Dan didn't have a long range ghost sense.

"Got to remember, don't use ice powers and Dan's over charged," Danny mumbled the reminder. Danny frowned. It was obviously a trap. Dan was crazy not stupid. If he was revealing himself, it was for a reason. And that reason was clearly because Danny would chase Dan for as long as the ghost was free.

Danny floated high above the Nasty Burger and surveyed the situation. He couldn't see much as he was so high but he could see a crowd had gathered. After so many years, the people of Amity Park had taken to gathering at ghost sightings as they knew Danny Phantom would appear sooner or later or his cousin Dani Phantom who was growing in popularity. As Amity Park's hero, Danny had many fans. It was a concern. That many people near Dan was never a good thing, but that many near Dan at the _Nasty Burger_ was worse. The Nasty sauce was highly volatile and Dan knew that. He could cause an explosion so large it could take out a city block and that crowd was definitely within a city block of the restaurant. Danny bit his lip. He had to get the people to leave or at least get to a safer distance.

But to warn the crowds would give away the element of surprise. Danny sighed and shook his head. He had no choice. If he defeated Dan only because he'd left so many people in harm's way and they got hurt, he'd never forgive himself. He was beating himself up for not warning Jazz and Tucker already and it wasn't even for certain yet if they were in trouble. Sam could be right after all, they might be too busy to pick up. However the coincidence that they'd found out that Jazz and Tucker were potentially in danger and then Dan turned up… a little too much.

Danny flew down and noticed the news crew with Lance Thunder. Lance, as usual, was complaining that he'd gotten the job to report on the ghost attack. But after so long, no one listened to him anymore. Danny turned invisible and landed beside the weatherman. He turned visible, startling Lance.

"Danny Phantom! Hey, mind signing my camera before you go fight that ghost?" the cameraman exclaimed. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"No. Look you need to get everyone to leave. This is probably going to be a big ghost fight and you're all too close," Danny warned them. Lance blinked before his reporter side surfaced.

"So you know this ghost? Have you fought before? Why does he have your emblem?" Lance questioned. Danny groaned in annoyance.

"I don't have time for an interview Lance. Get everyone away from here. At least a full city block. But two blocks would be better," Danny retorted.

Before the news crew could ask another question, Danny turned himself invisible. He didn't leave until he heard Lance grumble about following orders and that he was just a weatherman and didn't need this stress. Danny rolled his eyes and invisibly flew to the restaurant. He phased through the front doors, hoping that by using the actual entrance he'd be unpredictable. He gasped as his ghost sense triggered and he bit back a groan as his ice core pulsed with a stab of pain. It was nothing like using his ice powers before Frostbite treated his back, but it was enough for Danny to instinctively grab his chest and take a few calming breaths. He scowled angrily, knowing the discomfort was Dan's fault. Danny knew that if his ghost sense had gone off, it was a safe bet that Dan's had gone off by now.

Danny glanced out of the window and smiled in relief as he saw the crowds slowly moving further back from the Nasty Burger. He turned back to the task at hand. He had to find Dan and hope not to find any hostages. He floated invisibly through the restaurant and into the back kitchen. He needed to check the Nasty sauce vat. But he gasped as he saw three hostages tied to the vat. Two were Jazz and Tucker. They looked worried about something and Danny could bet it would be because Dan told them what he did to Danny. But the third was Irving, the manager. He was silently sobbing with fear and Danny could see why. Dan had obviously messed with the sauce vat as the temperature gauge on the side was edging into dangerous territory.

He glanced around and coming to the decision that Dan wasn't around, turned himself visible. The three hostages gasped. Danny put a finger to his lips.

"As soon as you're free, get out of here," Danny whispered.

"What about the sauce?" Irving interjected. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"I'll do my best but no guarantees. Just get far away from here," Danny replied as he carefully cut the ropes with a narrow ghost ray. Irving nodded and ran out of the back entrance.

Danny turned to Jazz and Tucker. They pulled him in a tight hug.

"Dan told us he'd killed you," Jazz sobbed. Danny carefully extracted himself out of the hug.

"Guys, you have to get out of here. I'll explain later. Where are your phones?" Danny retorted.

"Dan has them," Tucker answered. Danny nodded. He then gently pushed his sister and best friend towards the exit.

"Go. I'll handle Dan," Danny prompted.

"Okay little brother, but be careful," Jazz relented and left.

Danny gave Tucker a meaningful glance. He nodded.

"I get it dude. I'll keep Jazz safe, and I'm guessing that the others don't know you're here," Tucker remarked. Danny nodded slowly. Tucker put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I'm not lying for you this time. But I'm glad to see you're alright," Tucker muttered and then ran out the door.

Danny let out a deep relieved breath.

"Aw, how sweet?" Dan taunted from behind Danny. Danny scowled and turned to the ghost.

"But I must admit, I didn't expect to see you so… healthy. It's disappointing really," Dan continued. Danny gritted his teeth angrily.

"Listen to me Dan, you're sick. You need help. I can help you but you have to let me," Danny attempted. Dan frowned.

"Sick am I? I disagree. If anything, I feel better than ever. Ever since I used your little trick on you, I've been feeling amazing! I wonder, if I did it again, would I feel better than this?" Dan replied and grinned greedily at Danny. Danny nervously took a step back, knowing that the extra distance wouldn't help either way. Dan was so over charged he could easily move too fast for Danny to react to.

"Dan, I know how you feel, but trust me it's not as great as it feels. You have to stop," Danny tried again. Dan chuckled.

"I don't have to do anything," Dan growled darkly and lunged at Danny, throwing him through the ceiling and high into the sky.

 **And the final face off begins! Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	27. Chapter 27

Jazz and Tucker ran out of the Nasty Burger and sprinted to the retreating crowd. They sighed with relief once they joined the crowd but the relief was only momentary. A woman shouted in alarm as the roof of the Nasty Burger exploded open as something was thrown through it. The object was quickly identified as Danny Phantom and Dan zoomed after the halfa, too stunned to counteract the hit that came. Danny crashed into the ground. Lance quickly started reporting on the attack and the cameraman started recording. Jazz and Tucker glanced at each other worriedly. Dan was more powerful this time. They didn't remember the big battle Danny had had with Dan before since it technically never happened but Danny had given them a brief rundown of what had happened. They'd gathered enough from the way Danny had spoken of the fight that it had been a close one.

Danny groaned as he picked himself up.

"What? No witty banter? No special tricks?" Dan gloated loudly. Danny got to his feet and rolled his shoulder. He landed hard on it and luckily he hadn't dislocated it or worse. Danny glared at Dan.

"I thought you liked exciting entrances. So improvised with an exciting exit," Dan mocked and laughed manically. Danny scowled at the ghost and quickly checked that the crowd was far enough away.

"You may be more powerful this time Dan, but I'm not going to let you win. I stopped you once and I'll stop you again," Danny growled. Dan raised an eyebrow.

"Really? But I seem to recall that fight, you resorted to using Fenton technology. And this time, I'm not alone," Dan replied and finished with a dark grin. Danny scowled in confusion before he felt someone grab his shoulders painfully and a second ghost appeared behind him.

"A pleasure to finally meet you Danny Phantom. I've heard so much about you," the ghost hissed in his ear before throwing Danny towards Dan. Danny's eyes widened in panic, knowing what Dan was planning. He caught himself and jumped into the air. At least he had a slight advantage being in the air.

He turned to the newcomer and scowled. The ghost was blonde with red eyes. He wore long dark wizard robes.

"Gellert Grindelwald I presume?" Danny remarked. Grindelwald chuckled.

"I see you've spoken with Plasmius. But I planned for his betrayal," Grindelwald retorted.

"Yeah, by lying to him and keeping your true plans to yourself," Danny pointed out. Grindelwald shrugged.

"I have trust issues. Stems from my best friend, Albus Dumbledore humiliating me by defeating me in a very public fight," Grindelwald admitted.

"Why did Dumbledore fight you?" Danny prompted. Grindelwald raised an eyebrow.

"Your wizard friends didn't tell you?" Grindelwald inquired incredulously. Danny shrugged.

"I wanted a united world. I still want a united world. But ghosts are not involved. The dead and the living shouldn't be forced together. But the only way for the living to be truly happy would be for the magical and non-magical worlds to be joined. Separation has caused a rift in our world. Witches and wizards, beings of immense power, are forced to hide what they are and live in fear of discovery. We shouldn't live like that Danny Phantom. Surely you of all people understands that," Grindelwald explained. Danny frowned.

"So what is the plan? How does he and Plasmius fit in?" Danny asked, jerking a thumb at Dan. Grindelwald grinned.

"Lies are a fine art. But the best ones are those containing the truth. I told Plasmius part of my plans. I have created a crisis that will require non-magical and wizards and witches to resolve. I will reveal the existence of our world. Plasmius was only useful due to his immense influence and knowledge of ghosts and the Ghost Zone. Once everyone agrees to work together, I will cause my army to fall and send them back to their miserable existences in that prison. Don't you see Danny Phantom? I am bringing peace to this world," Grindelwald answered.

Danny frowned.

"So to create your idea of peace, you start a war?" Danny inquired in disbelief.

"It is for the greater good. Dan understands that, right?" Grindelwald retorted. Dan grinned. Danny blinked in shock.

"I'm giving you this one chance to join our cause Danny Phantom. Dan agrees, so it follows that you will, once given the proper incentive," Grindelwald announced. Danny turned to Grindelwald.

"Dan's not me Grindelwald. Man I thought Vlad was a fruit loop, but I think I've finally found a competitor. I will never agree to that," Danny replied. Grindelwald sighed, seemingly sad.

"I was hoping you'd say that Danny," Dan remarked gleefully. Grindelwald glanced at Dan.

"Very well, I tried. Have your fun Dan, just make sure he can't interfere once you're done with him," Grindelwald informed the ghost. Dan didn't even look at Grindelwald before he lunged at Danny.

Danny cried out in alarm.

"Now I'm serious," Dan snarled. Danny dodged him.

"You mean you weren't before," Danny squeaked fearfully. Dan laughed.

"Wasn't even trying Danny," Dan confirmed and fired a ghost ray at Danny. Danny ducked and fired his own ghost ray at Dan. It hit the ghost's chest. Dan glanced at the faint burn mark.

"Was that supposed to stop me?" Dan asked. Danny yelped as Dan threw another ghost ray at Danny.

"Not good! Not good!" Danny exclaimed and flew away from Dan.

"Ha ha, now you're getting it!" Dan shouted happily and chased after the halfa.

The crowd gasped as the two Phantoms started to fight and they realised that their hero was outmatched. Danny flew as fast as possible away from Dan and phased into the Nasty Burger and emerging out of the roof. Dan wasn't far behind. Danny gasped and dived to the ground. Dan followed and fired a number of ghost rays at Danny. Danny rolled to a stop on the ground and spun to face Dan. His eyes widened in shock and he formed a ghost shield just in time to protect himself from multiple ghost rays. Dan then barrelled into the shield, cackling madly. Danny strained to keep the shield up. Dan pummelled the shield.

"What? No ice for me this time?" Dan taunted. Danny gritted his teeth angrily and strengthened his stance to hold his shield.

Sam sighed worriedly as she stopped her latest call to Tucker, having memorised his answering machine message by now. She wandered into the living room and frowned at the fact she couldn't see Danny.

"Hey, have you seen Danny? I thought he was in here," Sam asked his parents. Maddie looked up from the phone, ringing Jazz's number.

"He was here a few minutes ago. But Karl isn't around either. I'm sure they're somewhere in the house. Maybe Danny went to ask Vlad something in the lab. I still can't believe that man," Maddie suggested, scowling at the thought of Vlad. Her eyes widened when she heard Jazz's voice only to recognise it as the too familiar recorded message on her answering machine.

Sam frowned but nodded and went back into the kitchen and down to the lab.

"Hey, have you guys seen Danny? He's not in the living room," Sam called, hoping to hear her boyfriend shout back before she reached the bottom of the stairs. Vlad turned to her and frowned.

"Not since he threatened me about ten minutes ago," Vlad answered. Sam scowled with concern. Vlad raised an eyebrow. Danny wouldn't just leave without confirming if Jazz and Tucker were going to answer their phones or not. In Vlad's opinion, Danny was acting irrationally in his panic and should at least wait until he was sure that his sister and friend weren't going to answer. They could simply be unable to answer due to a non-ghost related reason.

"Where was he last?" Vlad inquired. Sam shook her head.

"Mrs Fenton said that he was in the living room a few minutes ago," Sam replied. Vlad nodded and walked out of the lab. Sam frowned at the older halfa and shot Danielle a questioning glance. The teen girl shrugged. Harry, Danielle, Steven and Sam followed Vlad into the living room. Maddie and Jack frowned at the halfa but didn't interrupt their frantic calling of Jazz's number.

Vlad spotted Danny's laptop.

"Maddie, was Daniel on his laptop before he left the room?" Vlad asked. Maddie scowled at him.

"He was," she confirmed suspiciously. Vlad nodded and walked over to the device and lifted the screen. He tapped the touch pad lightly and the screen lit up. He raised an eyebrow.

"Daniel was watching a video uploaded about ten minutes ago now," Vlad informed them. Sam frowned.

"Why was he watching videos? We're trying to get in contact with Jazz and Tucker," Sam inquired. Vlad glanced at her.

"My guess? He was approaching this from another angle. Actually it was quite smart. I assume he was searching for evidence of Dan or Grindelwald. If they were active then they wouldn't have Jasmine or Tucker. From his absence, I can deduce he found something and decided to check it out by himself. Or rather with Karl only," Vlad theorised.

Vlad then tapped the play button on the video. He frowned in concern as he saw the video showing the Nasty Burger. As he watched, his eyes widened in fear and panic as he saw that it was a sighting of Dan.

"He wouldn't," Vlad whispered. Sam scowled at the change in Vlad. She walked over to the laptop and peeked at the video playing silently. Sam gasped.

"He would," Sam contradicted Vlad angrily. She grabbed the laptop and quickly spun around to sit on the couch beside Vlad with it.

"This is the Ghost King all over again! The idiot always has to play the hero!" Sam growled in annoyance and opened a new tab and searched for Amity Park news and immediately found a live broadcast of the ghost attack at the Nasty Burger.

She clicked into the video and her anger evaporated as Vlad and Sam saw that Danny Phantom was trapped in his own shield and Dan was hammering on the green shield. The shield flickered for a split second.

"He can't handle Dan alone," Vlad realised and jumped into the air.

"That wizard will be here. Daniel wouldn't have taken him to a fight like this," Vlad informed them and then phased out of the house and zoomed to the Nasty Burger.

Danny groaned as he tried to keep his shield going. If it failed, he wouldn't have the time to defend himself from Dan and if Dan caught him, he'd drain him again. And this time Vlad wasn't around to save him. Dan grinned.

"Give it up already Danny. You've lost. You should have agreed to join Grindelwald but personally I'm glad you didn't," Dan chuckled and punched the shield again. The shield flickered again at the point Dan punched.

"I will never give up," Danny grunted with the effort. The shield shrank slightly. Dan blasted the shield with a ghost ray.

Suddenly there was a massive explosion and a huge plume of fire rose into the sky. The Nasty sauce had reached its breaking point. Thankfully the crowd was at a safe distance but Dan, Danny and Grindelwald weren't. Both Phantoms were thrown away from each other and Grindelwald was knocked to the ground by some debris from the ruined building.

Jazz screamed fearfully and tried to run to her little brother who was laying in the road flat on his face somehow still as Phantom. Tucker grabbed her arm.

"Let go Tucker! I have to check he's alright!" Jazz exclaimed.

"Jazz, I promised to keep you safe. Those evil ghosts aren't gone," Tucker shouted over the panic caused by the explosion. Jazz turned to Tucker and shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"No! I don't care! Tucker, he's my little brother," Jazz wept. Tucker nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"I know Jazz, but remember he had a shield up when that sauce blew. He's just stunned," Tucker attempted to comfort the older girl but they both knew that Danny's shield wouldn't have protected him from a blow like that. It had been on the brink of failing.

 **So… let me know what you guys think…**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	28. Chapter 28

Vlad gasped at the sight of the plume of fire.

"No Daniel! Hold on," Vlad muttered fearfully and sped up his flight. He had to get there. If Danny was killed because of his stupidity, he'd never forgive himself. There were few things he truly regretted but listening to Grindelwald was one of them. Listening to Grindelwald and freeing Dan. Danny was the only true halfa other than himself. It couldn't end this way.

Vlad flew as fast as possible. Soon the air was thick with smoke from the fireball that was the Nasty Burger. Vlad gasped as he recalled Dan's history. Danny's recounting of what created such a monster. An explosion at the Nasty Burger. Dan had done this and Danny knew it was a possibility. That was why he hadn't told his family. It was why he tried to keep them out of it. Vlad suddenly felt guilty. Perhaps he should have lied about what Danny had done. Danny obviously had his reasons for facing this fight alone. But Vlad couldn't sit back and let Danny get killed in an unfair fight.

Grindelwald was the first to recover from the explosion. He blinked at the fiery remains of the restaurant.

"Idiot! Is he trying to get us all killed or destroyed or whatever it's called for ghosts?" Grindelwald growled in annoyance. He scanned the carnage. Dan had been thrown into a car and then pinned by a large piece of building. A wall by the looks of it. The ghost was knocked out. Grindelwald rolled his eyes at the crazed version of Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius. The creature was not what Grindelwald expected. Plasmius was intelligent. Plasmius wouldn't have left a ticking time bomb unattended without an off switch. He also wouldn't have forgotten about it. But then again Dan did seem to have a self-destructive streak.

But also Dan didn't seem much like Danny either. Danny seemed to be a smart fighter whereas Dan attacked savagely without a plan. Danny knew what battles he could walk away from and how much it took for him to win. At least most of the time. Grindelwald had seen the fear in the halfa's eyes once Dan attacked him properly. The halfa knew that Dan was very powerful and obviously didn't expect to get out of the fight alive. Danny was clearly fighting not to win, but for his life.

Grindelwald shook his head at Dan. Once he had completed his goals, he'd have to figure out how to stop Dan. Otherwise the creature might turn on him and rampage through the living world like he bragged to have done in his alternate timeline. Grindelwald continued to scan the area and grinned as he spotted Danny. He floated into the air and casually approached the halfa. He landed once he was beside him. Grindelwald knelt beside Danny and listened carefully. The halfa was alive and conscious judging by the pained gasps.

"I'm giving you one last chance Danny. This is my final offer. Join me and I'll call off Dan. Join me and you can live," Grindelwald called softly.

"No… deal," Danny wheezed quietly. Grindelwald tutted.

"I told Plasmius we should have killed you instead of that ridiculously elaborate plan to get the aurors to arrest you. But then again the sentimental fool isn't here to protect his precious halfa kin," Grindelwald gloated. Danny tried to push himself up but Grindelwald simply shoved him back into the ground. Danny was too weak to resist.

"The wonderful thing about being a wizard ghost like me is that I have retained my magical abilities and with my vast knowledge of spells, I'm unstoppable," Grindelwald revealed.

"Magic's… Desiree's…. thing," Danny quipped weakly. Grindelwald chuckled.

"I have to admit, you are far more amusing than your counterpart. But I'm afraid, your time is up," Grindelwald retorted and he stood back up. He lifted a hand and a hateful look crossed Grindelwald's face.

"I'm assuming this spell works on half ghosts but we'll see. Avada-" Grindelwald began before being blasted in the chest and sent flying backwards by a pink ghost ray.

Vlad landed clumsily and ran to Danny's side.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed.

"Vlad?" Danny asked weakly. Vlad sighed in relief and pulled Danny to his feet, Danny leaning heavily against the older halfa.

"Are you alright? Any injuries? Can you go on?" Vlad questioned worriedly. Danny winced.

"I think I cracked a rib. Or two. And I'm exhausted. That shield took everything to keep up," Danny admitted painfully. Vlad looked at Danny's dust stained, pale face.

"Is that anything I can do to help you?" Vlad asked gently. Danny looked up at Vlad. He seemed to finally realise what it meant that the older halfa was there.

"How… did you figure out I was here?" Danny inquired with a confused frown. Vlad smiled fondly.

"You are not very good at covering your tracks little badger. You left your laptop on the page you saw Dan on. It wasn't hard to deduce what you did. You seem to think you know me Daniel, but I have been predicting your moves longer," Vlad answered kindly. Danny nodded.

"So, does my family know?" Danny asked. Vlad nodded.

"They do. I wasn't thinking when I explained what you had done. They're on their way," Vlad replied. Danny attempted to take his weight but quickly fell back in to Vlad. Vlad shot a concerned look at the younger halfa.

"Dan had Jazz and Tucker," Danny informed Vlad. Vlad blinked in shock and then looked at the flaming ruins of the restaurant.

"Daniel…" Vlad whispered. Danny shook his head.

"Got them out of there first thing. Dan let me. Don't know why exactly. They're safe, I hope," Danny interjected before Vlad started offering condolences. Vlad sighed in relief.

"Perhaps I should take you to them," Vlad suggested.

Danny bit his lip. He couldn't fight, he couldn't stand. He had to get out of the way before Grindelwald recovered from Vlad's ghost ray. It seemed that the deceased wizard wasn't used to taking a hit. That was something they could use. Danny shook his head to get back to his own dilemma. Wherever he was, he was a danger risk. Dan would come around sooner or later and then he'd hunt Danny down. Jazz and Tucker wouldn't have weapons to defend themselves.

"How far away is the Assault vehicle?" Danny asked. Vlad blinked in surprise. He shook his head.

"I left as soon as I saw that you needed help. They were going to search for Karl and then come after me. Depending on how long it takes for the emergency services to react to this explosion, traffic might be a problem," Vlad answered uncertainly. Danny nodded.

"Emergency services are pretty fast since there's ghost attacks almost daily. But if they found Karl within a couple of minutes, and since Dani's there they would, they'd beat the emergency services. If dad's driving then, I dunno, a couple of minutes and they'll be charging around the corner," Danny figured out.

Vlad stared at Danny. Danny glanced at Vlad and chuckled before cringing in pain.

"This is my life Vlad. Depending on damage, I try to beat the emergency services before I get yelled at and called a menace or something. And I've grown up with my dad's driving, I know how fast he can get across town," Danny explained with a smirk.

"That is impressive for a person who scrapped a pass in high school math," Vlad complimented. Danny shrugged.

"I'm not dumb Vlad. I just never had time to study. Since going to college I do and my math has improved a lot. Besides, I'm good with timings," Danny interjected.

"So, what do you want to do?" Vlad prompted, glancing at Grindelwald.

"Sit me down over there. I'm visible but I have cover if Dan wakes up. Might be able to make another one or two ghost rays before I'm out of power completely and revert to human. I'll be fine," Danny suggested and pointed to a pile of debris. Vlad nodded and helped Danny over to the pile of rubble.

"Vlad, Grindelwald… he's not used to fighting. Use that against him," Danny advised. Vlad scowled at Danny.

"I'm capable of battling a ghost Daniel. I fought you for years and you still haven't beaten me," Vlad grumbled. Danny frowned in annoyance.

"Yeah, you got so good by watching me. I'm used to fighting new ghosts and figuring out weaknesses. That's Grindelwald's. He's inexperienced and he uses spells. Let one hit and see if it works. Grindelwald doesn't know what we know, only lightning spells work on us, as long as it follows non-ghost magic," Danny retorted. Vlad bit his lip before nodding gratefully.

"Thank you Daniel. If you need protection, just call," Vlad informed him before floating over to Grindelwald as the ghost finally got to his feet.

Grindelwald glared furiously at Vlad.

"You! You will pay for interfering!" Grindelwald exclaimed. Vlad charged his fists with his ghost energy.

"Grindelwald, stop this insanity. Dan is not a force you can control," Vlad retorted sternly. Grindelwald laughed.

"Is that so? What makes you so certain?" Grindelwald spat.

"Because I now understand what that creature is. He isn't the perfect harmony of myself and Daniel. He's an insane version of Daniel with perhaps a few inherited traits from myself. I know that Daniel isn't one to be controlled. Dan will turn on you," Vlad explained with a scowl. Grindelwald blinked at the halfa.

Grindelwald glanced towards Dan and then spotted Danny huddled beside a pile of rubble.

"Then perhaps I have a solution for both of us. If Danny Phantom is destroyed, Dan will be eliminated," Grindelwald theorised. Vlad's scowl deepened.

"No. If you kill Daniel, you will doom us all Grindelwald. Daniel is the only one who knows Dan well enough to defeat him. Dan exists outside time. The creature said so himself. Killing Daniel will not stop Dan. In fact it will make the creature more dangerous as he will find a new goal, such as destroying the world," Vlad declined the theory.

Grindelwald frowned angrily.

"Then perhaps we should allow them to sort out their differences while _we_ do the same. You said that Danny was out of the picture. I sense that perhaps you weren't being honest with me," Grindelwald snarled. Vlad scowled.

"You knew that the aurors would hurt him didn't you," Vlad realised. Grindelwald laughed and shook his head.

"Once again you prove that you non-magical folk are ignorant beings. I knew that the aurors would hand him over to creature control in the department of dangerous magical creatures. As they wouldn't know what he was, they would attempt to find out," Grindelwald corrected gleefully. Vlad frowned.

"You were just using me, weren't you? Just like you're just using Dan," Vlad finally understood. Grindelwald grinned.

"Daniel was right. I am an idiot to have ever believed that you would allow me to rule the world," Vlad muttered angrily. Grindelwald chuckled.

"Don't worry Plasmius. I've fooled greater than you. Stupefy!" Grindelwald retorted and a stream of red light shot out of his hand towards Vlad. The stunning spell hit but it had no effect. Grindelwald blinked in shock. Vlad grinned evilly.

"Ah, you see. Since Daniel was with the MACUSA, he may have figured out a few things about how magic affects us ghosts. And it seems your branch of magic is no different. Like Daniel said, you're not an experienced fighter," Vlad gloated before lunging forwards and punching Grindelwald in the stomach.

Grindelwald doubled over in pain before looking up at Vlad.

"Then it's a good thing I have ghost energy as well," Grindelwald hissed through clenched teeth. As Grindelwald's hand charged with red energy, Vlad sniggered.

"You truly believe that you can defeat a ghost that has had almost thirty years' experience when you've only been in existence for a mere five?" Vlad bragged and duplicated himself and charged. Grindelwald gasped in fear and fled, trying to head to Dan for aid despite the ghost being unconscious, but Vlad kept cutting him off.

Jazz and Tucker couldn't believe their eyes. Vlad Plasmius was protecting Danny! They watched in shock as Vlad led Danny to a pile of rubble and then floated off to face the unknown ghost. Once Vlad started fighting the unknown ghost, Jazz and Tucker took their chance and ran over to Danny. Jazz fell to her knees beside him and Tucker crouched down and kept an eye on Dan.

"Danny! Are you okay?" Jazz exclaimed fearfully. Danny frowned at her.

"You shouldn't be this close. Tuck I thought you were keeping her away," Danny retorted with a light glare. Jazz sensed the pain in Danny's voice and could see his weakness.

"You need us right now. Come on, we'll get you out of here," Jazz replied. Danny shook his head and resisted when Jazz attempted to pull him to his feet. She wasn't very strong and still a very petite person.

"No Jazz. This is where I want to be. Vlad said that mom and dad are probably on their way," Danny informed her. Jazz blinked.

"Since when do you and Vlad work together?" Jazz demanded.

"Since Vlad messed up and he let Dan out of the thermos. Vlad feels bad about this and wants to help. That ghost, Grindelwald, he tricked Vlad. We agreed to work together to resolve this," Danny explained. The talking hurt but he didn't want to worry Jazz more than he already had. But he could see from Jazz's concerned expression that she could see he was in pain. Tucker glanced at his friend.

"You're working together?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Danny nodded.

"Yeah. We've done it in the past and we need to now," Danny replied calmly.

A sudden crashing sound came from around the corner and the Fenton Ghost Assault vehicle came into view. Danny smiled at the vehicle, for once thankful for his dad's gravity defying reckless driving. The vehicle screeched to a stop a few feet away and Sam and Maddie jumped out. They rushed over to Danny, stunned to see Jazz and Tucker with him.

"Danny?!" Sam exclaimed and fell to her knees on his other side. She pulled him in hug, which he groaned painfully in protest to.

"Don't scare me like that!" she scolded. Danny forced a smile on his face and nodded.

"Sorry Sam. I was trying to protect you all," Danny apologised. Maddie frowned and she glanced at her daughter. Jazz shrugged.

"Danny, are you hurt?" Maddie asked. Danny sighed and cringed.

"Yeah, I've cracked a rib at least. My shield took most of the blast but when I hit the ground I must have landed on my chest first," Danny admitted.

Maddie helped her son up and helped him into the assault vehicle. There Danielle and Jack hugged Jazz and Sam finally greeted Tucker. Tucker then noticed Harry.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Tucker inquired confused as he approached the wizard.

"That ghost is responsible for causing a lot of trouble in the wizarding world. I'm heading an investigation," Harry answered, not sure how in the loop Danny wanted Karl, who they'd brought with them. All three wizards had been stunned by Jack's driving but due to the situation they were distracted by their concerns to notice how close to crashing they had gotten. Maddie gave her son some strong painkillers and then bound his chest tightly to prevent his ribs causing him further discomfort and give them extra protection. Danny smiled as the painkillers kicked in.

"Thanks mom," Danny muttered. Maddie smiled at her son before turning to her daughter and greeting her properly.

Danny experimentally stood up and twisted around. He felt extremely dizzy from his weakness. He noticed an ecto-gun on the side and bit his lip. He wasn't sure if he should charge himself. The last time, he'd gone overboard and hurt those aurors. Perhaps he didn't have the best judgement. He listened to Steven and Karl being introduced to Jazz and Tucker. Then Sam and his parents explained the situation to the new comers. Danny looked out the window and gasped as he saw the wall pinning Dan shatter. Danny scowled with determination. He had to stop Dan.

Danny snatched up the gun and with practised ease he popped off the panel on the side and took out the power units. He could sense the power inside them and the usual feeling of longing and desire filled him. Since his addiction, he had to exert a lot of will power not to fall into that trap again, but sometimes there wasn't another option. He drew the energy into himself and within seconds he felt rested and refreshed. He put the power units beside the gun and phased out of the Assault vehicle, unnoticed by the others in the Assault vehicle.

 **Round two. Ding ding.**

 **Sorry couldn't help myself.**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter…**


	29. Chapter 29

Harry shook hands with Danny's sister. She had long red hair and the same blue eyes as her brother's human half. She held an air of intelligence similar to Hermione.

"I've heard a lot about you from Danny. It's nice to finally meet you Jazz," Harry greeted the girl. Jazz laughed.

"I'm not as bad as he makes out," Jazz joked. Harry smirked.

"I'm sure you're not. Besides I can tell he loves you," Harry replied.

"So, what's the story with Steven and Karl?" Jazz whispered, shooting a distrustful glance at the other wizards. Harry bit his lip.

"Steven is a friend. He was an auror like me before all this. He got fired yesterday because he helped Danny when he got arrested. Long story. Karl, he was Steven's boss and he's taken it upon himself to watch Danny. The aurors know that Danny's a halfa. That's it though, they don't know about Vlad or Danielle," Harry explained in a low voice. Jazz nodded. She glanced at where she'd last seen Danny before scowling when she saw that her brother had vanished.

Jazz discretely made her way over to where he'd been, Harry following her. Jazz noticed the ecto-gun first and saw the drained power units.

"Dammit Danny," Jazz muttered angrily. Harry frowned in confusion and then noticed the darkened power units. Jazz turned to the window and gasped as she saw Dan getting to his feet.

"Oh no," Jazz whispered. Harry followed her gaze.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Harry mumbled to her. Jazz nodded.

"Danny saw Dan getting up, drained the gun and has gone to face him," Jazz realised. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Should we tell the others?" Harry inquired, unsure how things worked in the family. Jazz bit her lip.

"Danny's injured. We have to help him," Jazz decided and turned to her parents.

"Mom, dad. You need to see this," Jazz called to them.

Danny floated in the air invisibly and watched Dan. The ghost shook his head before glaring at the restaurant.

"A few more seconds and I would have had him," Dan grumbled. Dan then scanned his surroundings and noticed Grindelwald and Vlad's fight, well more of a chase actually.

"Pathetic," Dan chuckled. He then frowned and looked for his alternate self.

Dan walked forward a few steps and seemed more or less uninjured. Danny couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Dan's apparent invincibility. Most ghosts healed their wounds within minutes as long as it wasn't too serious. For example for a skeleton ghost, breaking a bone was serious but for a blob-type ghost, breaking a bone, assuming it had any in the first place, wasn't a big deal. But then again Dan could easily be numb to any pain he felt due to his excess energy.

Danny put a gentle hand to his aching side. The only way to even up the odds was to exhaust Dan or for Danny to get more powerful. Danny's eyes widened in realisation. He could do both! If he drained Dan's excess energy, then he'd both weaken Dan and strengthen himself. He'd just have to be careful and be mindful of what that kind of energy could do to him.

If only he could use his ice powers. He'd be much better off. He could use ice to ease his inevitable burning pain in his ribs once he started moving. He could freeze Dan to get a breather or some distance if the fight got too heated. He'd be able to put out the fires around them, hopefully. He'd never really tried that but he could try if he could use his ice powers. But Frostbite's warning echoed through his mind and he couldn't help but recall the discomfort when his ghost sense went off. That was a small release of his ice powers, Danny didn't want to think of how a large release of his ice energy would feel. Danny hadn't realised how much he relied on his ice abilities in ghost fights until now.

Danny steeled himself and floated forwards and turned himself visible. Dan turned to Danny and smirked.

"Back for more I see," Dan commented.

"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone Dan. This ends now!" Danny growled. Dan laughed.

"Right, when I'm this powerful? You don't even have a thermos," Dan pointed out. Danny bit the inside of his cheek. The situation did seem hopeless. He'd admit that. But he couldn't give up. Dan was so insane that he might decide to kill Danny and then kill everyone else in Amity Park. If Danny was going to go down, he was taking Dan down with him or at least hopefully weaken the ghost enough to enable his family to cope with the powerful ghost.

Danny took a breath, hiding a wince and fired a ghost ray at Dan. He had to get Dan close enough for Danny to do what both Dan and Frostbite had done to him. He had to phase his arm inside Dan. Dan side stepped the attack before grinning and jumping into the air.

"Fine, you want to keep playing this game, I'm all for it," Dan chuckled and charged at Danny. Danny gasped and ignored the pain in his chest from the action, he dove down to the ground and phased through it. Dan stopped.

"You're not going to trick me with that old technique Danny!" Dan called.

But Danny knew what Dan expected him to do. Usually Danny would use the technique to disappear underground and then phase up behind his enemy and sneak attack. It always had the element of surprise, especially when the enemy in question was close up and not thinking clearly after Danny had angered them with a few taunts and insults. So Danny knew that Dan expected him to phase up behind Dan and shoot a ghost ray at him. So Danny changed the tactic. Instead of phasing up behind Dan, he simply phased back up where he was. Since Dan had turned around to face the coming sneak attack, Danny had guessed right and ended up behind Dan.

Danny charged his hand with ghost energy and shot a strong ghost ray at Dan's back. Danny's eyes widened in shock. The hit had done almost nothing. If Dan had been standing on the ground, the ghost would have merely stumbled. Dan turned around, his head followed by his body. Danny backed away a few feet.

"Nice try," Dan growled and lunged at Danny. Danny flipped in the air and dodged the attack. He couldn't let Dan force him into a defensive position. If Dan forced him into making another shield and pinned him down, that was it.

Danny then blinked as a new plan came into his mind. Admittedly a risky plan. But if it worked, Danny would get exactly what he wanted, close to Dan. Danny had to play this carefully though. If Dan suspected anything, the plan wouldn't work. Danny wove through the air and kept low to the ground. Dan cackled and fired multiple ghost rays at the halfa. Danny dodged them. He was still going strong but he pretended to be tiring. He slowed his flight slightly. Unknowingly worrying his family and friends watching in the Assault vehicle, they'd decided to stay back in case they made things worse.

"Ha ha, face it you're not getting out of this one!" Dan gloated. Danny smirked to himself.

"I'm not letting you win!" Danny shouted over his shoulder. Danny then braced himself and let Dan's ghost ray hit him and crashed to the ground. Dan whooped in triumph and landed beside his alternate self. Danny winced. The ghost ray had hit his back and jarred his already injured ribs. He resisted the instinct to spin around and blast Dan in the face and fly away. He had to pretend that Dan had gotten the best of him.

Dan leant down over Danny, grinning evilly.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Dan muttered greedily.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed and turned to intervene but Grindelwald took advantage of Vlad losing focus and blasted the older halfa in the back with a ghost ray. Vlad grunted and his flight path was disrupted, right into one of the remaining walls in the Nasty Burger. Grindelwald laughed and flew down to his own opponent.

"I thought we agreed to let them figure this out," Grindelwald sneered.

Danny shut his eyes and ignored his mounting panic and fear. He pushed down the pain from laying on his chest and concentrated on his hearing. He waited and waited and finally he struck. With Dan so close, the ghost didn't have a chance to react. Danny turned his arm intangible and thrust it through Dan's chest. Danny turned his hand only tangible and glared at Dan's face. Dan roared in outrage and attempted to push Danny away.

"Let's see how you like it," Danny growled and having much more experience in absorbing energy from various objects, began to draw Dan's energy into himself.

Danny gasped as he felt the raw power trapped within Dan. With Danny stunned by the pure overwhelming amount of power, Dan attempted to seize the opportunity. Dan tried to yank Danny's arm out of his chest but as Danny grew stronger, Dan grew weaker. Soon Danny was too powerful for Dan to struggle against.

The pain in Danny's chest vanished. His mind became cleared of thoughts, only his goal remained. Protect his family by defeating Dan and Grindelwald. He forgot about the dangers of charging himself, all he cared about was that this feeling was amazing and there was more power still within the vessel he was draining. Danny's determined expression morphed into one of complete bliss and hunger. The screams of people still panicking about the ghost fight and explosion no longer registered. He didn't hear the sirens of the emergency services either. He just kept draining Dan of energy.

At first, everyone in the Assault vehicle was happy to see Danny finally turn the fight to his advantage, but as they watched, his family and Sam and Tucker realised that Danny was losing himself. He was over charging himself so much that he no longer cared about anything else around him. Sam was about to jump out of the vehicle to run and stop her boyfriend but Tucker grabbed her and stopped her.

"If you go out there, you'll just get yourself killed! We have to trust that Danny knows what he's doing," Tucker interjected before Sam could shout at him. Sam shook her head.

"We have to stop him!" Sam argued. Tucker bit his lip and shook his head.

"Sam, Danny would be devastated if you got hurt because of him. Remember how he described it. He focuses on one goal," Tucker retorted. Jazz nodded.

"That's right. And his goal right now is to protect us and stop those ghosts. If you get in the way Sam, he'll be forced to pick which goal to focus on. We have to stay here. I'm more concerned about Vlad right now. Danny mightn't remember that they're working together," Jazz added.

Harry glanced at Steven. They were both recalling how Danny had attacked the aurors. They knew that Tucker and Jazz were right. When Danny got like that, getting in his way was dangerous. As much as everyone in the vehicle hated it, they couldn't get involved. Karl watched Danny closely.

"What is he doing?" Karl asked. Everyone turned to him and shared a look among themselves.

"Danny can charge weapons and drain them of energy. He's… he's draining that ghost of energy. We call it charging and he's over charging himself. It was why he attacked your aurors. Over charging himself makes him far more aggressive than normal," Maddie explained cautiously. Karl glanced at the woman before frowning and watching Danny closely again. He didn't like the sound of that.

Vlad managed to push Grindelwald away from himself and turned to Danny, fearing the worst. Vlad's eyes widened as he saw Danny's hungry expression and Danny's arm implanted in Dan's chest.

"No! Daniel! Stop!" Vlad shouted desperately. But Danny was deaf to Vlad's voice. Grindelwald followed Vlad's gaze and his red eyes widened in fear and shock.

"What is he doing to that creature?" Grindelwald whispered. Vlad bit his lip.

"He's doing what Dan did to him. I have to stop him," Vlad muttered and flew towards Danny. Grindelwald scowled and tackled Vlad.

"No, we're not getting involved. We have our own disagreement to settle!" Grindelwald growled.

Vlad glared at Grindelwald. Before Grindelwald's eyes Vlad teleported away and then duplicated and charged all his fists with ghost energy. He fired the ghost rays simultaneously and Grindelwald was blasted into one of the ruined Nasty Burger's walls. The hit was so severe that the wall toppled onto the wizard ghost. Vlad didn't wait to see if Grindelwald was knocked out or not. He flew to Danny.

Vlad landed beside both Phantoms.

"Danny! Listen to me! You're overcharging yourself!" Vlad shouted, trying to get Danny to listen. Danny didn't hear him, too lost in the power he felt. Vlad touched Danny's shoulder and yelped as ghost energy crackled and shocked the older halfa. Vlad's eyes widened.

"Danny! Stop!" Vlad pleaded desperately, restraining himself from touching the younger halfa again.

Vlad glanced at Dan and saw that the creature was pale. His ghostly glow was dim and his red eyes were open but glazed over. Vlad glanced at Danny before frowning with determination. There was only one way Vlad could think of to separate Danny from Dan. A Fenton thermos. He turned to the Assault vehicle and charged over to it, phasing inside.

"Running from the fight?" Jack scoffed. Vlad sneered at the man.

"No. I need a thermos. We have to separate Daniel and Dan. Daniel is so charged with energy that I don't think he can control its release. He shocked me when I touched him," Vlad explained. Sam handed Vlad a thermos with a scowl.

"That button sucks ghosts in. That one releases," Sam informed him.

"Be careful how you aim the thermos. You might suck in Danny if you're not careful," Jazz warned. Vlad nodded and examined the thermos briefly.

Vlad then phased out of the vehicle and returned to Danny and Dan. Vlad stood behind Danny and warily aimed the thermos at Dan. He hoped that Danny's hand wouldn't get caught with Dan as he pressed and held the suck button. Dan was engulfed in blue light and, due to his weakness, didn't even struggle. Vlad released the button and slammed the lid on. He clipped the thermos to his belt and turned to Danny, still frozen in his position, tangible hand and intangible arm still outstretched.

Vlad licked his lips nervously and knelt beside Danny.

"Daniel, can you hear me? Daniel!" Vlad called gently. Danny didn't respond. Vlad's scowled in concern.

"Please Daniel. Say something. Do something!" Vlad begged worriedly. Danny didn't even blink. His expression frozen into one of bliss and hunger. Vlad glanced at the Assault vehicle. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know much about how this charging thing worked. He understood it was addictive and he had a vague idea of how it affected Danny. But he wasn't the halfa's family. In fact until yesterday, they were enemies.

Vlad looked up as he heard rubble shifting. Grindelwald stumbled out of the ruined building.

"Plasmius! Let's finish this!" Grindelwald roared angrily. Vlad scowled at the ghost with dislike. Since he wasn't looking, he didn't see Danny blink. His eyes glowed brightly, far too brightly to be normal. His ghost aura also shown brightly. But the biggest difference was how Danny felt. He felt unstoppable. He felt exactly how he'd felt in the Fenton portal for that split second when he'd been zapped with ectoplasm. Every fibre of his being buzzed with energy. His mind was at so much peace that he didn't feel the pain. He didn't care. But Grindelwald's voice reached his sea of bliss and brought back his goal. Stop Dan and Grindelwald to protect his family.

Danny set his gaze on the wizard ghost. Vlad stood up.

"Grindelwald, give up. You've lost. Dan's defeated and you aren't a threat to me," Vlad snarled. Grindelwald frowned.

"I was planning on getting rid of that creature anyway. You did me a favour. Now you and I, we're going to finish this. It seems that Dan managed to somehow stop Danny Phantom," Grindelwald replied, unaware that Danny was listening and in his over charged confusion, misinterpreted the meaning of his words. Danny's goal changed to include Vlad as a threat. Grindelwald and Vlad were working together, Danny thought.

Faster than anyone could follow, Danny blasted Vlad with a ghost ray and threw the halfa a great distance from his kneeling position and then he teleported right in front of Grindelwald and grabbed Grindelwald's robes. The ghost yelped in alarm and made to phase out of Danny's grip. Danny charged his hands holding Grindelwald and then shot Grindelwald far away, into the car and rubble Dan had been previously.

 **And things go from bad to worse. Like I said, the charging concept is very important to this fanfic. Let me know what you guys think.**

 **If this fanfiction hits 100 reviews, I'd like to do a connecting one-shot, so any requests? There will be another fanfic after this as an epilogue of sorts. I'll explain later.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	30. Chapter 30

Vlad slowly picked himself back up and then gasped as Danny charged at him. Danny punched the ground where Vlad lay moments before Vlad dodged the attack. Danny had punched with such force that his arm was buried in the concrete up to his elbow. Vlad took advantage of Danny's position and fled. Vlad didn't understand why Danny was attacking him. As he passed the Assault vehicle Jazz threw a Fenton phone to him.

"Vlad! Catch!" she shouted. Vlad caught the earpiece and slipped it into his ear.

"Can you hear us?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, loud and clear," Vlad confirmed as he flew. Danny was chasing him, having freed himself.

"Good. Get the Fenton phone in Danny's ear. If he hears us, he might calm down. We might be able to convince him not to attack you," Maddie told him.

"Why are you helping me?" Vlad couldn't stop himself asking.

"Because like it or not, we have to work together here. It's too dangerous for us to get out. Especially with Danny so aggressive. He thinks both you and Grindelwald are the threat. So try to keep him focused on Grindelwald," Jack answered.

"But then again, he might be influenced by stuff you've done to him in the past so he might see you as the bigger threat," Danielle added. Vlad scowled. He refrained from throwing back a disdainful comment to his creation. He needed their help.

So Vlad changed the direction he was flying in and headed towards Grindelwald.

"You said that if you ever faced Daniel, you'd kill him Grindelwald. He's all yours!" Vlad shouted to the wizard ghost hatefully. Grindelwald looked up in confusion before yelping in fear and jumping into the air. In his panicked fear, Grindelwald made the mistake of firing a spell at Danny. Danny gritted his teeth angrily and began to chase Grindelwald, despite the spell having no effect. Vlad took advantage of Danny's change in targets and caught his breath.

"He's so fast," Vlad panted.

"Over charging himself enhances his powers, including flight," Tucker informed him, reminding Vlad of the earpiece.

Vlad then turned to watch Danny chasing Grindelwald, trying to come up with a plan. Danny was right that Vlad wasn't a good fighter if he couldn't plan his moves first. When the Ghost King had attacked, Vlad had relied purely on his superior abilities and power to defeat the skeleton army. But the Fright Knight and Pariah Dark had easily been able to overwhelm him as he didn't have the opportunity to step back and observe them in battle. Vlad wouldn't have lasted as long as he did in that fight if Danny and Valerie hadn't been there, both impulsive fighters.

Grindelwald didn't have a style as such but rather fired the first thing that came to his mind whether that be a spell or ghost ray in his panicked flight. Vlad curled a lip in disgust at the ghost. How had such a pathetic fighter managed to organise and pull off a prison break from Walker's prison? Vlad turned to Danny. Danny wasn't fighting like he usually did. He was far more aggressive and forceful with his attacks. He didn't hold back anything. If Danny wasn't over charged, Vlad would have been concerned about Danny running out of energy. But Vlad noticed that Danny didn't use anything but his ghost ray.

"If I were to convince Daniel to use his ice powers, in his state, would he feel the discomfort caused?" Vlad asked the group on the other side of the Fenton phone. There was a pause.

"Not sure. He's never been this over charged before. But it's dangerous for him to use his ice powers," Maddie answered uncertainly.

"What?! Why?" Jazz exclaimed. Vlad rolled his eyes.

"Jasmine, can we focus on the matter at hand? Your brother's ice core was drained of energy and it prevents him using his ice powers properly," Vlad retorted.

"So that's why he didn't just ice Dan," Tucker muttered. Vlad scowled, still watching the chase between Danny and Grindelwald.

"If negative effects are caused, could you rectify them?" Vlad inquired.

"Maybe," Maddie replied eventually.

Vlad nodded to himself.

"Then it's worth a try. It may be the only way to get Daniel to slow down enough for me to place the Fenton phone into his ear," Vlad decided. Vlad could sense that the group in the Assault vehicle weren't supportive of the plan, but they didn't object. Vlad took a breath and flew after Danny and it became a three person chase, Danny chasing Grindelwald and Vlad chasing Danny.

Grindelwald threw a spell over his shoulder and completely missed Danny, nearly hitting Vlad instead. Vlad growled in annoyance. Danny was too fast to catch and Grindelwald had adopted an extremely erratic flight pattern just to stay ahead of the over charged halfa. Vlad had to modify his plan. Vlad backed off and tried to predict not where Danny would be but where Grindelwald would be. Grindelwald seemed to be following a pattern that Danny, being so uncontrolled, hadn't seen. At least not yet. Vlad took a steadying breath and went to where Grindelwald was heading and waited. He let Grindelwald pass him and then lunged at Danny.

Despite Danny being a full grown man now, Vlad was still larger and he used that to his advantage. He tackled Danny to the ground. Danny let out a feral scream of anger and struggled against Vlad. Vlad dodged a ghost ray.

"Not good enough Daniel!" Vlad taunted, trying to hide how much he was struggling to keep a hold of Danny. Danny glowered at Vlad and his eyes flashed brighter if possible and he fired a stronger ghost ray at Vlad's head. Vlad managed to dodge the blast and taunted Danny again. The two halfas repeated the process of Danny firing wildly at Vlad, Vlad dodging and then taunting him.

Finally Danny seemed to have had enough and his glowing green eyes switched to bright blue. Vlad's eyes widened in shock when Danny didn't seem to be in any discomfort at all. Vlad didn't realise that like Dan, Danny was completely numb to the agony his body was in. He hadn't even noticed that he'd broken his hand from his missed punch at Vlad. Danny didn't feel the agony his chest was in from his struggle with Vlad and screams of outrage. And nor did he feel the stabbing pain in his ice core from accessing his ice powers. Vlad jumped away from Danny as the crazed halfa fired a wave of ice energy at him. Vlad scowled in determination and lunged at Danny again before he could get up. Vlad somehow managed to pin Danny on his front and he fiddled with the ear piece as he pushed it into Danny's ear in a panicked rush.

Vlad didn't want to hurt Danny but he could feel the building chill wafting off Danny and he was aware that Danny had hurt his ribs. Vlad then jumped up into the air and zoomed away from the outraged halfa as he got back to his feet. Danny then scanned his surroundings and saw Grindelwald seemingly catching his breath a short distance away and he noticed Vlad flying as fast as possible away from him. Before Danny could decide which ghost to go after the Fenton phone crackled to life.

"Danny?! Danny, it's mom. Please calm down sweetie!" Maddie called fearfully. Danny's outrage faded slightly as he glanced around him for the source of the voice.

"Danny, you're over charged! You're confused," Sam added. Danny frowned, he brushed his hand, his undiagnosed broken one, against his ear and felt the Fenton phone.

"Danny, listen to us. Vlad is not your enemy! You have to stop attacking him!" Jazz pleaded. Danny turned to Vlad. Vlad had flown a good distance away now and stopped to watch Danny nervously.

Danny's mind started to connect what he was being told. He then replayed what he'd heard before. Danny nodded towards Vlad. He understood. Vlad wasn't the enemy. But Grindelwald was. Danny turned to Grindelwald and unexpectedly charged at the ghost. Grindelwald yelped and fled once again.

Vlad blinked in surprise. Danny had gone after Grindelwald. Vlad cautiously floated over to the Assault vehicle. Jazz opened a window and handed Vlad another Fenton phone.

"Do you think he heard you?" Vlad asked. Jazz glanced at her brother and shrugged.

"It's hard to say, but I think so," Jazz replied. Vlad smiled.

"Thank you," Vlad muttered. Jazz blinked at him.

"Help us get Danny back to normal and we'll be even," Jazz retorted with a smile. Vlad nodded and turned back to the renewed chase and slipped the Fenton phone in his ear.

As Vlad turned back to the fight and he considered their available moves. Danny wasn't going to be easy to explain a plan to by the looks of things. He seemed to only have a one track mind. So Vlad was going to have to predict Danny's moves into a plan that he could work with, which was not easy when Danny wasn't behaving as he usually did in fights. Vlad watched Grindelwald and frowned in thought. The wizard ghost wasn't hard to fight, but he seemed to have mastered evasion. If Vlad could interrupt Grindelwald's flight, then he could leave Danny to fight Grindelwald. Danny needed to release his pent up energy.

Vlad nodded and charged towards Grindelwald and hoped that Danny truly did understand that Vlad wasn't an enemy. If Danny didn't understand that, Vlad was flying right into danger. Vlad barrelled into Grindelwald and punched the ghost in the jaw. The punch dazed Grindelwald enough for Danny to finally catch the ghost. Vlad backed away as Danny pummelled Grindelwald and then blasted him with multiple ghost rays. The assault was overly aggressive and completely out of character for Danny. So much so that Vlad could see where Dan had come from. Danny threw Grindelwald to the ground and fired an ice energy ray at him, freezing him to the ground. Danny then began to punch Grindelwald over and over again.

"Vlad! Come get another thermos!" Sam ordered fearfully. Vlad understood the girl's fear. It was frightening to see Danny so ruthless. Vlad teleported to the Assault vehicle and caught a thermos tossed to him. As he flew back to Danny and Grindelwald, Vlad frowned.

"What happens when Daniel's goal has been achieved?" Vlad asked.

"He finds a new one I guess," Tucker answered uncertainly.

"Then how do we get rid of his excess energy?" Vlad countered.

"I don't know. But maybe Danny will make that his next goal. We might be able to talk him into it," Jazz replied. Vlad nodded and opened the thermos. He scowled as he saw that there wasn't much room to suck Grindelwald inside and not Danny. Vlad bit his lip before taking a page out of Danny's fighting tactics and phasing underground.

Vlad smirked at the ingenious move, mentally complimenting Danny on the idea to use the ground as cover in fights. He held the thermos up and pressed it into Grindelwald's back. Grindelwald squeaked in fear and tried to throw Danny and his ice manacles off himself. Vlad sucked the ghost inside and phased up and slammed the lid on the thermos and clipped it to his belt beside the one containing a weakened Dan.

Danny frowned at the ground and then noticed Vlad standing beside him.

"We got him Daniel. You can stop now," Vlad assured him in a gentle, soothing voice. Danny stood up and scanned the area.

"Where are my family?" Danny asked. His voice was far too calm for Vlad's taste considering how angry Danny had been at Grindelwald moments ago. It was like flipping a switch.

"They're in the Assault vehicle. They didn't want to worry you during the fight," Vlad answered carefully. Danny nodded.

"Are they alright?" Danny inquired, in that same calm voice. Vlad smiled and nodded.

"Everyone, including Jasmine and Tucker," Vlad confirmed. Danny nodded.

Danny then turned to what to do next. His family was safe. Vlad had captured Grindelwald. Danny surveyed the area and noticed for the first time the fire-fighters watching, nervously keeping back. It was well known that Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius were enemies and they expected a new fight to break out between the remaining ghosts. Danny turned to the remains of the Nasty Burger. He found his next goal. Put out the fires. He lifted an arm and channelled his ice energy at the fiery remains of the building. As the ice formed around the flames, it melted and put the fires out. Once again, Danny didn't notice his core pulse painfully. He hadn't noticed that the bindings around his chest had been loosened and lost during his fight with Grindelwald either.

Danny then turned his thoughts internally. Vlad watched Danny nervously. He was glad to see Danny's concern for others coming to the surface as he put out the fires. He didn't want to say anything in case Danny took it as a threat or insult. It often was a risk between the two halfas due their deep distrust and dislike of one another.

Danny tried to figure out his next move when he recalled what he'd done. The initial blindness from the overwhelming power was starting to fade. He remembered draining Dan but more, he remembered his plan and internal warning. Danny found his next goal. He had to get rid of the excess energy inside him. He wanted to turned back to Danny Fenton which he couldn't like this.

Danny glanced around him, checking that everything really was safe and then shot straight up into the sky. Vlad gasped at the suddenness. He moved to chase Danny.

"Wait, Vlad. I think I know what Danny's doing. Just wait for a minute," Danielle exclaimed. Vlad for once listened to the teen. Danny started to glow a bright green as he charged his body with his energy and then released it in a massive wave of devastating power. It reached all across Amity Park but it never strayed near the ground. Vlad gasped at the sight.

"He's releasing that energy," Danielle confirmed, the smile on her face evident in her voice.

Danny let out wave after wave of green energy. Slowly his power reduced enough for him to think clearly again. And as his thoughts returned, so did the agony his body was in. His core ached, his hand and ribs were excruciating and his body was exhausted from the excessive energy it had being holding. He also had a headache. He ignored the pain though. Releasing the energy was more important. Unsure how much he had to release to get back to his usual levels of energy, he opted to simply exhaust his ghost energy supply. That way he'd be certain to have gotten rid of it all. Gradually the waves of green energy grew dimmer and travelled less distance until he could barely charge his body enough to produce another. With one last wave of energy that didn't even cover the explosion site, Danny finally stopped and floated back down to the ground.

Weakened once again, Danny fell to his knees. Vlad rushed over to him.

"Daniel? Are you alright?" Vlad called and gently pulled the halfa to his feet. Danny yelped in pain as Vlad touched his wounded ribs and pressed against his broken hand unintentionally. Vlad winced in sympathy.

"I'm sorry Daniel," Vlad whispered apologetically and helped Danny to walk to the Assault vehicle. Danny nodded mutely. His headache had intensified so much that he felt nauseous.

Maddie opened the side door and took over from Vlad, shooting the older halfa a grateful smile. Maddie led Danny to a seat which he slumped in tiredly. He wanted to revert to human but he knew that he should wait until they got away from the remains of the Nasty Burger first in case Lance came for an interview or the fire-fighters or police came knocking looking for an explanation. Maddie crouched down in front of Danny.

"Danny? Sweetie? How do you feel?" Maddie asked gently. He was extremely pale and his muteness was worrying his family.

"Bad," he muttered and grimaced at the pain in his chest from the single word. Maddie's eyes widened in realisation. The power boost had either cancelled out the painkillers, or Danny had hurt himself further in the energy induced rage. Maddie grabbed the first aid kit and attempted to place pain killers into his hand, since he had his eyes shut. Danny yelped in agony. Maddie froze and then looked at his hand properly for the first time. She blinked in shock as she saw that it was swollen and bruised. Maddie bit her lip and placed the pain killers in Danny's other hand. Danny didn't hesitate to swallow the tablets.

Maddie hoped that the second dose wouldn't harm her son as both doses had been with extremely powerful pain killers. Maddie waited a few moments before turning back to Danny's hand.

"Sweetie, I'm going to look at your hand, alright," Maddie warned. Danny didn't respond but Maddie sensed that he'd heard her. Maddie gently touched Danny's hand. Danny whimpered in pain. Maddie gave her son a concerned look.

"I think it's broken," Maddie announced to the group, they had been watching worriedly in silence.

Vlad stepped into the Assault vehicle. He watched Danny for a moment. He shook his head and shut the door.

"Daniel, change to human. You should go to a hospital with your ribs and hand. No excuses! We'll say you were at the Nasty Burger when it exploded and got pinned under some debris," Vlad ordered kindly but sternly. Danny hesitated but did as Vlad instructed. Vlad nodded and turned to Jack and Jazz.

"I assume one of you can drive this vehicle," he remarked. Jack nodded and pushed gently through the group to get to the steering wheel.

As Jack turned the key in the ignition and pulled on his seat belt, everyone bar the wizards scampered into seats and did the same. Maddie sitting in a seat beside her son, she clipped his own seatbelt across his body for him, cringing in sympathy and Danny winced at the movement and seatbelt pressing against his injured ribs. Danielle turned to the wizards.

"I'd strap yourselves into seats. Jack's driving is infamous in Amity Park," Danielle warned. Harry, Karl and Steven blinked in confusion, this wasn't an emergency to warrant such reckless driving as earlier, but when Jack lurched forwards, they suddenly understood and jumped into seats and frantically buckled themselves in.

 **And mission complete. Grindelwald defeated. So… not much more to go. I mentioned before that I will be writing another fanfic to completely wrap everything up after this. I would have done an epilogue but the epilogue would have ended up being more than one chapter. So it's a whole fanfic as an epilogue.**

 **Anyway, until the next chapter.**


	31. Chapter 31

They reached the hospital within minutes, thanks to Jack's driving. Danielle and Vlad turned themselves invisible and Jazz ran into the hospital reception to alert the staff to her brother's condition. Jack helped his son out of the Assault vehicle and Maddie took the keys to park the vehicle legally. Tucker and Sam trailed worriedly behind the injured halfa with the three wizards.

"That was worse than the Knight bus! At least they can use magic to squeeze through dangerous situations," Harry exclaimed shakily. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Knight bus?" she repeated. Harry nodded.

"I'd rather fly through a storm than use that bus. The driver's a lunatic but compared to Mr. Fenton," Harry replied with a shudder.

They walked into the reception and were given a number to wait to be called. Jack wanted to complain since his son had been hurt fighting a dangerous ghost for this town's protection but Jazz told her father that a few people had been injured by flying debris since they got too close during the fight. Maddie joined them shortly afterwards and then Vlad Masters and Danny's cousin joined them. Karl had been highly suspicious of the two humans but he didn't question them.

Steven offered to keep an eye on his ex-boss for the group and Harry offered to keep everyone comfortable by fetching drinks and sandwiches from the gift shop. Danny eventually dozed off since the tablets did cause drowsiness. Sam sat beside her boyfriend and kept a keen ear out for their number. Vlad, being Vlad Masters, was extremely impatient and even suggested that he bribe the hospital staff to bump Danny up the waiting list, but Jazz and Maddie refused. Danny wouldn't want that. Besides, he was resting.

Maddie filled out the form the receptionist handed them, having made a note of the tablets she'd given Danny and lied slightly about the times he took the tablets and said he'd had a headache that morning to cover their tracks. Danielle and Tucker spent the time catching up, avoiding any ghost talk due to Karl and other people in the waiting room potentially over hearing something they shouldn't.

After two hours of waiting, Danny's number was finally called and Sam gently woke him up. Tucker helped the half-asleep and weak halfa to where the doctor was waiting.

"What happened?" the doctor asked with concern.

"He was at the Nasty Burger. He got pinned under some rubble. His mom gave him some pain killers, they make you sleepy," Tucker explained on Danny's behalf. The doctor nodded.

"What pain killers?" the doctor inquired.

"His mom made a note on the form we had to fill out," Tucker answered. The doctor opened the file in his hand and saw the name of the pain killers and the additional note of the dosage.

"You really shouldn't take pain killers this strong for a headache Mr. Fenton," the doctor scolded lightly.

"I'll try to remember that," Danny mumbled. The doctor nodded and led the way to get an x-ray of the noted potential injuries.

"Now, did you note everything that hurts?" the doctor inquired as he got Danny ready for his first x-ray.

"What does it say? My mom filled it out since my right hand's broken," Danny replied.

"Chest and hand," the doctor read.

"I have a bad headache too. Might have hit it but-er might be the one from earlier," Danny answered, quickly adding the lie that his mother came up with. The doctor nodded.

"I'll check for trauma after we've done this," the doctor assured him.

Once the x-rays had been taken and the doctor had taken a quick look at Danny's head and declaring Danny's headache as just that, Danny and Tucker were sent back to the waiting room to wait for the results. After half an hour of waiting, Danny was called again and Maddie went with him this time with Jack to help their son since he was still pretty weak. It was confirmed that Danny had broken two ribs and it seemed that a third had been cracked. His hand was also broken but the doctor obviously didn't believe their lie about it getting broken by debris.

"It looks like Danny punched a brick wall. Danny, you can be honest. Were you in a fight?" the doctor prompted.

"No, I was just hurt because of that ghost fight and the Nasty Burger explosion," Danny replied. It wasn't a complete lie. The doctor raised an eyebrow but didn't push the matter.

The doctor then led Danny to another room and treated his wounds, commenting on the number of bruises and asking about the claw-shaped scars on Danny's side. Danny lied and said it was an old wound from when he was a kid being stupid with a neighbour's pet. After all, he couldn't tell the doctor it was from his ghost friend Wulf when a partial ghost called Voldemort overshadowed Wulf and attacked Danny at Hogwarts. Thankfully Danny didn't need to explain the large scar on his leg from one of Skulker's missiles hitting him. Danny was then prescribed strong pain killers and given a written doctor's note for either his boss or college or whoever needed to see it to excuse him from activities that, with his damaged rib cage and broken hand, he couldn't complete.

Vlad discretely took the hospital bill and paid it on Danny's behalf. Then Vlad returned to his mansion to check over a few things. Sam and Tucker went home and Harry and Steven found other accommodation. Danny needed peace and quiet to recuperate, not a house full of wizards. Unfortunately, Karl wasn't going to leave Danny alone just yet. Jack helped Danny up to his bedroom and Danny fell asleep almost instantly, having been given more pain killers before leaving the hospital. Maddie read over the instructions they'd been given on what Danny needed while he was injured. Such as pain killer dosages and check-up appointments already scheduled. But they could go over all the appointments tomorrow after Danny had had the chance to heal and recover from the intense battle.

Danny woke up late the next morning. Harry, Steven, Sam and Tucker had already come over. Danielle had kept her distance from Karl to avoid any questions. Danny felt a lot better though after his rest. His body no longer ached and his headache was gone. His only discomfort now was with his ribs and hand since the pain killers had worn off. Avoiding unnecessary movement, Danny made a duplicate to go and inform his family that he was awake and to get his pain killers for him. He loved this new discovery that his duplicates weren't injured even when he was.

Once medicated and had recalled his duplicate, Jazz and Tucker explained that Dan had overshadowed people to get close to them and then kidnapped them. However since it was now the weekend, it wasn't a big deal. They'd return to college the next day. Then Sam, Danny and Danielle explained what had happened over the course of the last few days.

Vlad didn't come over since as mayor he had to deal with the explosion at the Nasty Burger. Now that people knew how volatile the Nasty sauce could be, they were demanding for compensation, despite the fact that Irving had never been secretive about the dangers of heating the sauce. After all telling people about how important his job was was the only way Irving could ever hope for any respect.

Vlad was doing his best to pin all the blame on Dan without revealing anything about the nature of the ghost or the fact that he knew more than he was letting on. But as soon as he mentioned that the sauce was only left unattended due to the ghost fight and Irving informed the press that Danny Phantom had known about the sauce, blame was being placed on the younger halfa.

It wasn't what Vlad wanted. For once, he didn't want to pin everything on Danny. He didn't deserve it, not that he had necessarily deserved to be Vlad's ghost scapegoat in the past, but none of this had been Danny's fault. He had tried to stop Dan. Vlad was the only reason Dan had been such a threat. Vlad had let the crazed ghost out of its imprisonment. So Vlad did his best to divert as much blame as possible away from Danny.

It wasn't easy but after the recordings of the battle by Lance and his cameraman were made public, people started to see how difficult the battle had been on the halfa. People didn't stop blaming Danny but they weren't as forceful about demanding that he be made answerable for the incident. But unfortunately the high media coverage of the ghost fight and explosion did alert the Guys in White and they came to investigate. As mayor, Vlad was able to throw his weight around and keep the ghost hunters from doing too much and protected Danny and himself to the best of his ability. The fact that the Guys in White didn't break down the Fentons' door only reassured Vlad that the MACUSA hadn't told the non-magical government about Danny, yet.

Danny informed his college that he had been injured during the Nasty Burger explosion and so had managed to convince the course co-ordinator to let him take the exam the following week. Danny didn't want to be completely excused from the exam because he wanted to take it, especially since it counted for so much of his course. So when Danielle went back to school and Sam, Tucker and Jazz had returned to their individual colleges, Danny spent his time resting and studying for the coming exam. Joseph kept him up to date with his lectures and Tamzin even called to see how he was doing. Danny assured her he was fine and after a moment's thought informed her that Sam had been a great help for his recovery. He needed Tamzin to understand that his relationship with Sam was serious and not likely to break any time soon. He realised that he probably hadn't been vocal enough on that in the past and may have unintentionally led the college girl on.

Harry and Steven didn't want to leave until they were sure that Danny wasn't going to get arrested by the MACUSA again or worse the Guys in White. They wanted to make sure that Danny was safe. Karl on the other hand had been strangely quiet and distant. He allowed Danny space and he even used the Floo network one day and left town for a couple of hours. By Wednesday, Danny had reached the usual level of restlessness from being injured whenever he was a patient for too long.

Despite his sore ribs, Danny got out of his bed and helped his parents in the lab. Both parents were concerned about having Danny so close to so much ghost energy after such a large over dose at the Nasty Burger, but Danny wasn't even tempted. The last over charge incident seemed to have warned him off the stuff. Danny still knew and desired the level of power and calm that the energy could give him, but being so close didn't seduce him anymore. The last time had been frightening. He'd become so lost in that energy that he'd lost himself and acted completely out of character, too much like Dan. Danny only realised how bad he'd been when he'd watched the videos, against his family's advice.

But it was on this Wednesday that Vlad finally visited Danny. Vlad had been unsure since the situation had been resolved, they were more than likely enemies again. But Danny didn't insult and threaten the older halfa when he came around. Instead, Danny was almost friendly to the halfa. It was a surprise to Vlad. They sat down in the living room to discuss their next move.

"Thanks for not pinning that explosion on me," Danny began the conversation. Vlad nodded.

"It was the least I could do. It was my fault that Dan was even at the Nasty Burger," Vlad replied. Danny smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Vlad ventured. Danny shrugged.

"As long as I keep on top of my pain killers, I'm fine. Actually I'm starting to get a little stir crazy from being at home so long, but I want to keep a low profile for the time being. Especially as Phantom," Danny answered. Vlad smiled knowingly. He understood the feeling of restlessness, it was part of being a halfa. Ghosts weren't comfortable with being confined and as part ghost, Vlad and Danny were prone to feeling a little restless if pent up for too long. In fact Danielle was claustrophobic, a side effect of never being fully human.

"Daniel, I've been considering our next move. Phantom and Plasmius were seen to be working together at the Nasty Burger," Vlad started. Danny nodded. He'd read the comments under the videos. There was a lot of speculation. Dan was suspected to be Danielle Phantom's father or another relation to Danny's ghost persona. It was the only excuse people could think of for the ghost having Danny's insignia. But there was also speculation on the two halfas and why Vlad had protected and aided Danny during the fight. There was also a full conversation trying to understand why Danny Phantom had grown so aggressive and powerful all of a sudden, his energy waves had been seen by everyone in Amity Park. Thankfully, Lance hadn't seen exactly what Danny had done to Dan and so people didn't know that Danny had turned into a ghost version of a vampire.

"I guess, in order to protect what happened, we have to renew or at least extend our truce," Danny suggested. Vlad nodded.

"Or we could try not to be enemies," Vlad countered. Danny turned to Vlad.

"Vlad, we became enemies because _you_ attacked my dad," Danny reminded the older halfa. Vlad nodded slowly.

"I realise that. But… I don't know how much you remember from…" Vlad trailed off, unsure how Danny felt about bringing up how uncontrollable he'd been at the weekend.

"When I went crazy on Dan power," Danny supplied with a grim smirk. Vlad nodded with a slightly amused smile.

"Well, your family helped me. I'm aware that they did it to help you. But one of the reasons I became so resentful towards Jack was because I feared that no one could care for a creature like me, like us," Vlad informed him. Danny frowned in distaste at the word "creature", he was starting to hate that word.

"But when I saw how concerned your family was for your wellbeing and how worried those wizards were… I realised that all that fear, it was unwarranted. Or at least it is now. So I'd like to prove to you and your family that I want to change and earn a second chance. All I'm asking is for the room to try Daniel," Vlad explained, not seeing Danny's frown.

Danny glanced at Vlad.

"Let me put it this way Vlad. Don't try to destroy my dad or take over the world or steal my mom and so on, then I can try not to be your enemy," Danny replied. Vlad winced.

"I'm sure I can do that with my new understanding of things," Vlad confirmed. Danny nodded and smiled.

"Then I guess we're… what? Ex-enemies?" Danny remarked. Vlad chuckled.

"I guess so," Vlad affirmed.

"By the way, Grindelwald did the whole clichéd villain speech at the Nasty Burger. Turns out he didn't lie to you about everything. He wanted to unite the wizarding world and the muggle world by making the ghosts the bad guys. He was going to make the war so serious that the wizards would have to reveal themselves and then he'd throw the fight and throw his followers back into Walker's prison," Danny informed Vlad after a moments' silence. Vlad blinked before nodding.

"Now, it makes sense. He was using me for my knowledge, not for what I was necessarily. He double crossed me because Dan fitted his needs better than I did since Dan was a full ghost," Vlad muttered thoughtfully. Danny nodded.

"So, speaking of Grindelwald and Dan… what did you do with their thermoses?" Danny inquired. Vlad nodded.

"I have them stored securely in my secret lab. I didn't know what to do with them so I just kept them," Vlad answered. Danny nodded.

"I was thinking of returning Dan to Clockwork's tower and handing Grindelwald over to Walker to face his crimes," Danny suggested. Vlad nodded.

"Fair enough. But I can't help but be confused at how Grindelwald organised a prison break being what a weak ghost he is. His magic has no effect on ghosts or ghostly objects correct? So if all he can do is produce a ghost ray and possesses the basic ghost powers of flight, invisibility and intangibility, how could he break out so many ghosts?" Vlad wondered out loud. Danny shook his head. Due to being so overwhelmed by the energy during the fight, Danny hadn't really paid much attention to Grindelwald's skill set. But now he thought about it, it didn't make much sense to him either.

"Maybe Walker will know. But I'd prefer to have a few more of his prisoners before I go to see him. You know how Walker can be and he hates me," Danny replied eventually. Vlad chuckled.

"I do believe that that may be because you take every opportunity you have to tease him," Vlad commented. Danny shrugged.

"Hey, if he didn't want to get teased then he shouldn't do stuff I can tease him about," Danny retorted with an amused smirk. Vlad was right though, he really shouldn't push Walker more than he had to. But sometimes he couldn't help but give in to his childish and mischievous side when facing the warden.

Vlad and Danny spent a little more time talking about how they should present their new very public truce towards anyone who asked their ghost personas and what Danny was comfortable with Vlad explaining to the media. Vlad left with one last warning that the Guys in White were in town. Danny smirked to himself, this was definitely going to take some getting used to. Vlad and he being nice to each other. But before Danny could dwell on what that could mean for Danny's ghostly image with the mayor no longer as his arch enemy, Karl walked in with a nervous Steven following. Harry joined them, clearly worried about what Karl wanted with Steven and Danny.

 **So Karl has something to say. I'll let you guys in on something, he's been busy for the last few days.**

 **By the way, the mystery of the prison break will be solved but in that epilogue fanfic I've mentioned…**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	32. Chapter 32

Danny blinked in surprise at the three wizards and in one glance knew that Karl had come to a decision about something and wanted Steven there. Harry was just there to lend support or protection.

"Oh hey, something happen?" Danny greeted them cautiously. Karl noticed Danny and nodded.

"We need to talk," Karl answered and pointed to the couch. Danny scowled and folded his arms. He thought he'd made it clear that he didn't follow orders. Karl rolled his eyes.

"Please Danny," Karl added, shocking everyone in the room. Danny pushed down his shock and raised an eyebrow. Karl sighed and gestured for Steven to take a seat also, Steven, being so frightened of his ex-boss, obeyed without question.

Danny complied and sat down on the couch beside Steven. Harry, not sure what was going on, decided to stand quietly in the corner with his hand in his pocket, wrapped around his wand. Karl remained standing and pulled out an important looking document from his pocket.

"First thing I wanted to say is that the MACUSA wishes to apologise for its treatment of you during your detainment Mr. Fenton, and thereby its treatment and attitude towards you afterwards," Karl announced. Danny's nerves vanished.

"Hang on, are you saying that you were wrong to arrest me?" Danny interjected, wanting to confirm exactly what the wizard was saying. Karl sighed and looked up from his page.

"Yes, I am. You and your family will be offered compensation. You were treated unethically and we apologise. Now if I may, I have a few things to clear up," Karl affirmed with a hint of annoyance.

Danny blinked in surprise and Karl took the opportunity to continue what he wanted to say.

"Steven, I was wrong to fire you. Therefore I have a proposition for you. You can regain your job as an auror in my office or you can head your own department which is in the process of being set up," Karl resumed. Steven's nerves were replaced with complete shock and relief.

"My own department?" Steven repeated softly. Karl nodded.

"Having seen how unprepared we were for such a crisis, the MACUSA has seen the need to create a department for controlling ghost issues. The president is working on getting this department being recognised by the rest of the magical world. It will be international and a branch will open in every government but MACUSA's department will be the head. The title is yours if you so wish," Karl explained. Steven was lost for words.

Steven smiled and nodded.

"Being a head of department isn't easy. There is a lot of work Steven and this new department, especially in the early days of its inception, will require a lot of travel. But the pay will be better than your previous job," Karl added. Steven chuckled.

"I wouldn't expect anything else. I'm just relieved that I'm not going to get arrested for freeing Danny," Steven replied, finally finding his voice. Karl shuffled his feet slightly.

"Yes, well. Since it has been recognised that Danny shouldn't have been arrested in the first place, neither you nor Mr Potter deserve to be punished for correcting that mistake," Karl admitted. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"If we hadn't saved Danny, he would have died. The wizards questioning to him didn't believe him when he warned them of the possibility," Harry informed the wizard sternly. Karl blinked in shock.

"I was unaware. I'll bring it to the attention of those at MACUSA. Again, Danny, you will be compensated," Karl retorted.

Danny nodded.

"Eh, been almost killed before," Danny remarked, but he was internally relieved that Karl understood the severity that arresting him, and questioning him the way they had, had been. Karl cleared his throat and turned back to his document and scanned it to find his place. He nodded.

"Next, Danny. We have a two part offer. We will, in return for your silence on the magical world, keep your identity and erm species from the no-maj government," Karl continued. Danny nodded.

"You have no idea what that means to me Karl. No worries, I'm not telling anyone about you guys unless I have permission. Being a halfa, I understand the importance of secrets and so on," Danny assured the wizard. Karl smiled.

"Besides, Danny's already known about the wizarding world for two years now. He wouldn't even tell his family. I was the one to explain everything," Harry added. Karl blinked in surprise before smiling, confident that the halfa could be trusted.

"Next, we are offering you a job. As part of Steven's new department. You would be paid handsomely for your services and your expertise would be greatly appreciated," Karl resumed. Danny frowned.

"You want me to work for you guys? Doing what exactly?" Danny inquired.

"You would be working with Steven," Karl answered vaguely. Danny held up his uninjured hand.

"I got that. But what does Steven's department stand for? Are you expecting me to fight ghosts? Do you want me as an ambassador for ghosts? Which by the way, not a good idea. I'm not well liked in the Ghost Zone. Do you want me as an expert to consult?" Danny questioned. Karl nodded.

"You would be working to prevent this situation occurring ever again. It is your decision, yours and Steven's, how much involvement you would have," Karl replied. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, two conditions. One, no more sudden visits from wizards that sound like they're from The Terminator. And two, I make my own way to wherever I'm needed, no more Floo powder and portkeys," Danny offered. All three wizards frowned in confusion.

"Terminator?" Harry repeated. Danny glanced at him.

"You know, movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Come with me if you want to live". No?" Danny elaborated. Harry recognised the reference due to growing up with muggles but the other two wizards looked just as confused. Danny shook his head.

"Seriously, you wizards need to get out in the non-magical world more often. The Terminator is a classic!" Danny commented. Harry smirked.

"I'll explain it later Karl, Steven. It's a muggle thing," Harry offered, deciding to clear up the confusion for now.

Karl and Steven glanced at Harry before nodding, dropping the question for now.

"I'll bring your conditions to the MACUSA's attention but as Steven is the head of department, it would be his decision on whether or not to accept those terms," Karl replied.

"But I can't help but wonder why you don't wish to use magical transportation. It would be faster than no-maj methods," Karl pointed out after a momentary pause. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, thing is… it's not really much faster than my methods of getting around. I can use the Ghost Zone to get to far off places or drive in the Spectre Speeder. Since the Speeder isn't a recognised vehicle, I don't technically need a license to use it. Also, using your methods really doesn't agree with me. I get dizzy, nauseous and I've even gotten sick from using them. If it comes to it, I'll use it but I'd rather not," Danny explained. Karl blinked in surprise.

"I wasn't aware that it affected you like that," Karl muttered, stunned by how much he'd learnt about the halfa in such a short time. Danny nodded grimly.

"Well, since you agree to work here, your fireplace will be connected to the Floo network. It will enable us to access you easier. Unless you have another suggestion," Karl added. Harry stepped forward.

"What about twin mirrors? That way Danny can be contacted directly," Harry suggested.

"Twin mirrors?" Danny repeated confused.

"Works like walkie talkies. Steven could have one and you could have the other. You can then talk to each other at distances. My godfather and father used them during school to talk to each other in separate detentions," Harry explained. Danny smiled and nodded.

"Sounds good to me. We'll have to check if it works across worlds. Mightn't be able to reach me if I'm in the Ghost Zone," Danny replied.

Karl nodded and made a note of the suggestion.

"I'll get on that. Do you have any objections with your fireplace being connected though?" Karl inquired.

"Better off asking my parents Karl. It's their house. But as long as you promise to give some notice, I'm sure they won't mind," Danny answered. Karl nodded and noted down the request.

"Well if that's everything…" Karl concluded and rolled up his document.

"Wait, how are you going to keep my secret from my government? Danny Phantom is pretty well known. If non-magical people hear what I am, word could get to the Guys in White. And also just because you aren't telling the Guys in White what I am, doesn't mean they aren't still a danger to me. In fact they're in Amity Park now," Danny interjected.

"How do you know that?" Steven asked.

"Vlad warned me," Danny replied.

Karl considered the question.

"They're that dangerous to you?" Karl inquired thoughtfully. Danny bit his lip.

"Well, I can fight them off but I prefer not to, but even a bad ghost hunter can have a lucky day. I don't consider them a great threat, but they are a concern to me," Danny admitted. Karl nodded in understanding.

"I'll have a word with the president. I guess the best option is to swear our witches and wizards involved in this situation to secrecy. But it's not my decision," Karl suggested. Danny chuckled.

"So a government cover-up. Sam is going to love that," Danny remarked with amusement. Karl raised an eyebrow. Harry smirked.

"If that's what you think is the best option then I'm for it," Danny confirmed after a moment. Karl nodded slowly and excused himself to ask permission to connect the fireplace to the Floo network.

Steven looked to Danny.

"So… I guess I'm your boss now," Steven commented with uncertainty. Danny laughed.

"You're not ordering me around Steven. I'll work with you, not for you. But I'll have to train you how to use ghost weapons and explain to you about ghost etiquette and so on," Danny replied. Steven frowned.

"Ghost etiquette?" Steven repeated sceptically. Harry nodded.

"Trust me, Danny's a good teacher. You'd be surprised by what he knows and he has some really good connections in the Ghost Zone," Harry retorted. Steven turned to Danny.

"But you said that you'd be a bad ambassador," Steven recalled. Danny nodded.

"I think you're forgetting that I'm wanted by Walker. Not to mention I have a lot of enemies. I have a few allies that hold some weight but that's it," Danny reminded them.

Danny frowned in thought.

"Hmm, maybe I should have a word with Vlad. I've just thought of how he could pay me back for revealing my secret," Danny muttered thoughtfully.

"Are you sure? I mean, you're meant to be resting right?" Steven interjected worriedly. Danny nodded.

"I'll wait until tomorrow. Don't want to push it. Vlad's offered to form a truce kind of. We're trying not to be enemies from now on," Danny informed them. Harry and Steven's eyes widened.

"You're trying to be friends now? But you couldn't work together for the last two days without constantly arguing," Harry pointed out. Danny smirked.

"That's just our version of banter Harry. Besides, things were tense. This is Vlad practically saying he's going to stop attacking me, maybe even look out for me. He's even trying to cover Phantom after the weekend. The media are trying to pin it on me but Vlad's using his influence to move the blame onto Dan," Danny explained.

"But isn't Dan just a version of you," Steven replied cautiously. Danny shook his head.

"Yeah, vaguely. But very few people know that. Which means publicly speaking, Vlad's trying to put blame on the ghost I was fighting, not on me. So really, he's protecting Danny Phantom. If he pinned it on me, the Guys in White and every ghost hunter in the area would be gunning for me, more than usual, and the town would probably name me public ghost enemy number one again. It was a bad fight, especially when I lost control," Danny explained. Harry and Steven smiled sympathetically.

Harry returned to England the next day and Steven and Karl left Amity Park. Danny decided to wait until night before venturing out of the house as Phantom, his dark jumpsuit blended better. He arrived at Vlad's mansion and knocked on the door, deciding that barging in was rude and not a good idea since the halfas were trying to get along. Vlad answered the door and seemed surprised to see Danny.

"Daniel? What are you doing here? Especially in ghost form," Vlad inquired nervously. Danny rubbed his neck with his left hand.

"Sorry, but I want to talk to you about something I thought of. Can I… you know, come in?" Danny replied nervously. Vlad blinked and stepped aside. Danny smiled and followed Vlad to a lavish sitting room.

"Would you like something to drink or anything?" Vlad offered awkwardly. This whole being nice to each other was such a foreign idea that neither of them knew how to act around each other anymore. Danny declined politely as he changed into his human form.

"Do you remember what Frostbite used to heal my back?" Danny began uncertainly. Vlad frowned and nodded.

"I do, but as terrible as I'm sure being injured as you are would be, to protect your secret you really shouldn't turn to such a miracle cure like Death Roses," Vlad replied, assuming what Danny was going to say. Danny chuckled and shook his head.

"Not what I was going to suggest. Vlad… it's our fault that they're so rare. I was hoping that since you're rich and have so much influence. Maybe you… you could track some down. We could grow some here in Amity Park. That way, I can repay Frostbite and we'd have access in case either of us ever needs urgent healing," Danny explained. Vlad blinked in surprise before frowning deep in thought. Danny waited nervously. He was afraid that he'd pushed their new truce too far. They were attempting not to be enemies, not allies necessarily.

Eventually Vlad nodded.

"It is a sound argument Daniel. However I regret to inform you that I haven't a very green thumb," Vlad admitted. Danny smirked.

"Me neither. But Sam loves plants. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to grow them for us. If not for you, she'll do it for me," Danny replied. Vlad nodded slowly.

"I'll see what I can do. But I can't guarantee that I can find any seeds for sale. They are exceptionally rare as I gather from the way Frostbite spoke of them," Vlad agreed. Danny smiled, relieved that his request hadn't been too bold. Vlad visibly relaxed also, understanding why Danny had come to him.

"So, any news on whether the MACUSA are going to tell our government about you?" Vlad ventured after a moment of silence. Danny grinned.

"Actually, yeah. They're not going to tell our government as long as I keep their government and witches and wizards and so on secret. But they've also offered me a job," Danny answered. Vlad raised an eyebrow and listened as Danny explained what Karl had told him. The halfas spent the next hour or so talking amicably. Both thinking that perhaps this new truce could possibly develop into something more than just ex-enemies… maybe even friends. They were the only true halfas in existence after all. But of course, that would take time.

 **And that is that.**

 **Don't worry, those little loose ends will be cleared up just not in this fanfic. I'll be putting up another one shortly.**

 **But I hope you enjoyed this fanfic as much as I did writing it. I'd like to thank you for taking the time reading this. Thanks to everyone that left a review. I love hearing your opinions.**

 **There will be a connecting one-shot to celebrate getting 100 reviews going up shortly, keep an eye out.**

 **Let me know what you thought of the story since it's finished.**

 **Well, not much else to say except…**

 **Until the next fanfic.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Just wanted to let you guys know about fanfics I've posted connected to this fanfic.**

 **In order:**

 **\- Student of a Halfa (one shot based during Halfa at Hogwarts)**

 **\- A Conversation between Ex-enemies (one shot connected to A Ghostly Crisis)**

 **\- Aftermath of the Crisis (mini-series)**

 **\- A Phantom Addiction (mini-series based between Halfa at Hogwarts and A Ghostly Crisis)**

 **\- Search and Rescue**


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